Life Moves On
by Nightborn Dreamer
Summary: The war has been fought and won. Sasuke has returned to the village, but things don't go back to normal like Naruto hoped. NarutoxSasuke.
1. Stay

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 1: Stay

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: I haven't done a canon story in a long time, so this should be fun. Um, this is obviously going to be after the war is fought and won and focuses mostly around Sasuke and how he finds his place in the world. Since he's apparently turned a new leaf (heh), I decided not to make him so…evil and crazed. He also seems to have calmed down since his last encounter with Naruto (even apologizing to Karin).

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

The war against Madara, Obito, and the Juubi was over. The shinobi that were wounded were healed, the ones that had sacrificed their lives were buried, funerals were held, and the Hokages that had been raised from the dead had been put back to rest. The enemy had been defeated and the shinobi world could take a little bit of time to rest and recover, though it would be short as they still had missions to take and bills to pay. Once the shinobi were healed, they were sent off to their villages. The shinobi of Konoha bid them farewell as they attempted to rebuild and heal their own comrades who had been harmed, as well as bury the ones who had passed. Their sacrifices and teamwork wouldn't be forgotten and they hoped peace would be universal between the villages now.

Konoha was still under construction in some areas, and the hospital had yet to be rebuilt. _Why_ that hadn't been the first building they worked on, no one knew. All of the wounded were resting in tents, being treated on by the few medic nins that still had the energy and chakra to heal, while others rested themselves.

In one of the tents lay two young men who had been torn apart, inside and out, and reshaped over the war and its buildup. Sasuke Uchiha, who had surprisingly aided them in the war, and Naruto Uzumaki, who had given his all to win the war and protected as many people as possible. Medics hesitated going inside, fearing the darker man who they still weren't sure could be trusted, when they did go in, they rushed and left in a hurry, to focus on more (theoretically) mentally stable patients.

~*NS*~

When Sasuke woke, he found himself in a tent next to the last person he wanted to face. Turning his head away from the boy on the other side of the tent, Sasuke looked up at nothing and reflected on all that had happened. He was in Konoha, he was sure, and, surprisingly, wasn't sure how exactly he felt about that. He was being treated by people who he had been committed to killing not too long ago and who still weren't very happy with him. Why they were healing him at all, he didn't know, but then, his village was known for being too soft and forgiving at times. After all, he wasn't the only missing nin that got off easy. Jiraiya and Tsunade had both been missing nins as well. They had left the village without permission to do lord knows what, and yet were able to come and go as they pleased. Maybe the rules were different for the legendary ninjas though, and Sasuke wondered if Orochimaru could have gotten off on lesser punishment…or…maybe not since he killed the third.

Sasuke wondered if he would indeed be punished and if so, what kind of punishment he would receive. Something about being punished by the people who backed his brother up into a corner and coerced him into murdering their family did _not_ sit right with him. He wished he could make the elders fess up to their own crimes. A part of him, a rather large part, still wanted to make them suffer and pay for what they did to Itachi and his family.

Would the pain of that memory ever give him rest? Sasuke wasn't so sure. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to stay in such a corrupt village, with such a corrupt system. The shinobi world was encased in secrets and lies. Did he really want to become a part of that now that he knew?

Did he really have a choice? The shinobi world was a part of him, a part of who he was. All he could do was try and…change it so history stopped repeating itself.

Inhaling deeply, Sasuke forced himself up into a sitting position, groaning from the pain of his wounds as he did. He had been healed, for the most part, but some injuries would take more time. His head was throbbing and he felt parched. He wondered how long he had been unconscious and when the last time he had hydrated himself was, his tongue felt thick and dry. He knew that if he were to speak, his voice would sound rough.

Just as he threw the covers off, he heard the person on the other side of the tent shift and wake. Sasuke froze and, lifting his gaze to the other boy, saw half-lidded blue eyes staring back at him.

Naruto.

"Sasuke…" Naruto sounded almost dazed, as if he wasn't sure if he was seeing correctly. After blinking a few times, he seemed to take note of Sasuke getting out of bed and became weary. "You goin' somewhere?"

Was he? Sasuke wanted to stay in Konoha, to change the system, but there was something growing in his gut that made him want to get up and…do something. Run, maybe. His mind was a mess, he was trying to grasp onto something, just one thought to cling to, but there were so many he didn't know which thought to pick.

Frowning when he didn't answer, Naruto grunted as he got up into a sitting position as well. He turned so that he was facing Sasuke and regarded him seriously. There was a look of determination in his eyes that Sasuke recognized from various encounters. He knew what Naruto was going to try to do. He was going to try and convince him to stay in the village, to work things out, and make outlandish promises Sasuke wasn't sure he could keep.

"Come on Sasuke, stay. You belong here. I mean, this is your home!" Naruto wasn't known for assuring people, but when it came to Sasuke and making sure he stayed in the village, Naruto was getting desperate. Even Sasuke could tell, despite his best efforts to ignore his (ex)-friend.

Looking off to the side, Sasuke considered his options. He wasn't sure he really belonged in Konoha, but if he left, he would live the life of a rouge ninja until the day he got captured and imprisoned or died. He doubted he would be allowed the same privilege to come and go as he pleased as Jiraiya, but maybe he could stay hidden like Tsunade had. He…honestly didn't know. He didn't even know if he would continue on alone or if he would have to take Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo with him. He had made a promise to Juugo, to be his "prison", but wasn't sure if he could continue to fulfill it, didn't know if he _wanted_ to. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he wanted at all. Nothing was clear anymore. Nothing had been clear since Itachi's death. He felt lost and like he was just stumbling and fumbling over himself as he tried to find a new meaning to life, while stubbornly sticking to his old path of revenge because…he didn't know anything else.

What was he if not an avenger?

What was his purpose, and where did he belong?

When Sasuke didn't give him an answer, Naruto stated loud and clear, "If you do leave, I'll just keep coming after you."

Sasuke looked at him with a tired expression.

"You'll never get rid of me."

And even though Sasuke already knew the answer – seeing as Naruto had told him multiple times – he still asked, "Why?"

To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto didn't answer right away. The silence between them was awkward and uncomfortable, but Sasuke felt rooted to his spot. He didn't know why, but he always had to listen to Naruto, even when he didn't want to. He had to hear for himself why he kept coming after him, even if he thought Naruto was an idiot for it and refused to accept any of the reasons he gave. One would think Naruto would have gotten tired of being rejected, of having his reasons rejected, again and again, but alas, he just kept coming back. His resolve made Sasuke feel…anxious, angry, and…sad and fearful, though he would hate to admit to those emotions. He couldn't even go further into them in his own head, couldn't explain to himself why he felt those things. Not yet.

"I need you," Naruto finally stated, breaking the silence and bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. "More than I realized."

When Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, Naruto continued.

"The whole time I was fighting, I just…thought that I needed you there, fighting beside me. I feel that that's how it's supposed to be. I need you to be the one fighting at my side, more than anyone else." Naruto broke eye contact and lowered his gaze, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "I feel kind of bad about that, since everyone was there with me and I appreciate it, but…I just…wished you had been there too. I mean, I know you showed up eventually but…uh…"

"Shut up."

Naruto dropped his hand and looked at Sasuke in surprise, though frowning.

Sasuke didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to be needed …yet he needed to be. It was ironic, how he needed to be needed, just as much as Naruto. Sasuke had always been the one his teammates had relied on and he accepted that as his role. Eventually, that role ended up defining him and became a part of who he was; however, he had abandoned that role when he left the village, and then again when he attempted to kill Karin. He wasn't sure he could go back to that.

Naruto looked like he was about to say more, but they were interrupted by a medical nin. Once the young man saw that his two patients were conscious and up, he froze. He looked from Naruto to Sasuke, his gaze nervous.

"Is…everything okay here?" the young man asked.

Naruto didn't say anything, keeping his eyes on his friend. Sasuke could tell from the way Naruto clutched the sheets that he was tense and ready to jump at him should he attempt an escape. It made Sasuke remember the battle just before he had lost consciousness…

Sighing, Sasuke grabbed the covers and lay back down, turning away from Naruto because he just couldn't deal with him. He just felt…tired.

He heard Naruto exhale in what he assumed was relief, then heard him say, "He's not goin' anywhere." At first he thought he was saying it to the medic nin, but then Sasuke realized he was most likely reassuring himself.

And a part of Sasuke resented him for it.


	2. Longing for the past

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 2: Longing for the past

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: I edited the first chapter, but just a little. The new chapter of the manga a couple weeks ago made it so I had to change a little in the storyline, but luckily it really just affected future chapters. The first chapter didn't need to be changed as much as I feared (I doubt it's even noticeable) and the ending will be almost exactly the same so…yay. ^^;

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

Naruto had been staring at Sasuke's sleeping body for who knew how long. He had this irrational fear that if he took his eyes off of the other boy, he would disappear. Naruto…couldn't go through that again. Or, well, he _could _if he had to, it would just take a huge toll on his heart (and maybe even his soul). It should scare him how attached he was to the other boy, it was certainly cause for some concern. So much shouldn't lay with one person, but…Sasuke was special, for reasons Naruto only had an idea of. He was special because he was the first person to really acknowledge Naruto, and because he knew what it felt like to grow up without a family. Sure, others knew that too, but they weren't around when Naruto was small and needed someone like him. Just knowing that Sasuke was around had been a comfort to him. He wished that he had befriended him long ago. Perhaps if he had Sasuke wouldn't have left, though he supposed he shouldn't dwell on what could have been.

So he focused on the present. He kept his eyes on Sasuke so that he wouldn't disappear. He was tired of chasing him and looking at his back, he needed Sasuke to be beside him, now more than ever. Sasuke made him stronger. He wasn't sure how, but he did. He motivated Naruto to train harder, yes, but when they were in actual battle, he felt as if he had double the strength than when he was alone. It was strange and…comforting. He hadn't been lying to Sasuke when he said he needed him to stand and fight beside him, though he didn't fully understand why that was so important, he just knew that it was. It made him feel bad, in a way, because there had been so many others who had fought beside him before Sasuke showed up, but he still longed for Sasuke.

Sitting up, Naruto moved the covers off of himself and rolled his shoulder. His body was still a little sore, but was, for the most part, recovered. He bit his lip and wondered if it would be okay to leave, just for a little. Sasuke might wake up any minute and Naruto didn't want to miss that, but he also couldn't stand just sitting still. He wanted to go out and see if anyone needed any help. He also didn't know who all had passed and wanted to pay respect to their graves. It especially concerned him how Sakura hadn't visited them once, not that he was aware anyway. Maybe she had come to see them while he was unconscious, or maybe she was just very busy with helping everyone else out and healing the wounded, Naruto didn't know.

She wasn't avoiding him, right?

Or was she avoiding Sasuke?

Frowning, he got stood and decided to leave the tent, just for a little bit. Once he was out of the tent, he took one last look over his shoulder at Sasuke, and then turned away from him. There were so many people around that he felt sure that Sasuke wouldn't be able to sneak off even if he tried. He spent some time walking through the village. There were tents everywhere and he wondered how long it would take for everything to be rebuilt. There were parts of the village that already looked brand new but there were more pressing concerns delaying the completion of the reconstruction. His eyes scanning over everyone, he caught sight of Sakura and shouted out to her.

"Sakura!" He waved his arm at her, hoping she'd come to him so they could talk for a little.

Sakura's shoulders noticeably tensed at his voice. She looked over her shoulder at him and frowned. Naruto's own smile dimmed as she quickly looked away from him and ran off into one of the tents.

That…was strange…

It made him revisit his thought of her avoiding him, or Sasuke, but…why would she? They hadn't had a fight and she should be _ecstatic_ over Sasuke being back where he belonged.

_She's probably just busy_, he reasoned. His eyes lingering on the tent she disappeared into, he wondered if he should follow after her but decided against it. Turning away from the tents his two teammates were in, Naruto set about the village to ask anyone if they needed help.

~*NS*~

When Naruto left the tent, Sasuke felt like he could breathe easier. It wasn't like him to fake sleep, but he just really wasn't ready to face his teammate. A lot of things were said and done and he wasn't sure he wanted Naruto's friendship, or rather, wasn't sure he could take it. Sitting up, he wondered what became of Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin. He hadn't seen them since the war. Maybe they left. Sasuke wouldn't hold it against them if they did. They were criminals too, separately from him. Well, Juugo he wasn't completely sure about, but it wouldn't surprise him if he was.

Orochimaru as well but…Sasuke couldn't bring himself to care much for his old teacher.

Looking over at Naruto's empty spot, Sasuke thought about his old team. He hadn't seen Sakura since the attack and he was sort of grateful about that. Kakashi as well. It wasn't that he felt particularly _guilty_ about what he had done to them. He felt regret over the whole situation, but that had more to do with Itachi than anyone.

He had fought well with his old team and it had won them the war. At the time, though, he had been running on adrenaline. There also wasn't much time, if any, to really think and so he just acted naturally. Now that the war was over and everything was settling down, Sasuke felt more…aware of everything. He wasn't in a rush, nor did he feel comfortable doing and saying what felt natural, especially to his old teammates. The only thing that was stopping him from running out of his shared tent and far, far away from his old teammates was that that would make him seem like a coward.

Pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone entering his tent, he looked up to see his past teammate looking at him with a nervous and grime expression.

"Sakura."

"Hey, Sasuke…" Sakura moved to sit next to him, glancing nervously at Naruto's side before turning back to him. "Where did Naruto go?"

Sasuke looked away from her, off to the side. "I don't know. I'm not his keeper."

He heard Sakura sigh, then felt her hands on him, taking off his bandages to check his wounds.

"How are you feeling? Are any of your wounds bothering you?"

"I'm fine." Still, he hissed when she touched one of his more sensitive areas. He felt his body tense up. Sakura's presence wasn't familiar to him anymore, and he, instinctively, felt his defenses rising, as if she was an enemy. After a few calming breaths, he forced his body and mind to calm down. "Why are you here this time? What happened to the other medic?"

"He's resting." He then felt the strange sensation of his wounds being healed at an unnatural rate. "Besides, I…wanted to see you." She raised her gaze to meet his. "I wanted to see if you were alright and….if you really intend to stay."

"I do."

Sakura released a breath she was holding, and then let out a small laugh. "Good, cause if you did leave I'd chase you."

"Naruto said that as well."

Sakura paused in her laughter and closed her eyes. Smiling softly, she said, "Yeah…he would too. These last few years have been really hard on both of us."

Sasuke didn't want to hear about it. He didn't want to hear about what he had put his teammates through by leaving them. Why should he? It wasn't as if he had promised to stay with them until death do they all part.

"There, I'm done. You just have some minor wounds now, but those shouldn't bother you so I'll just let them heal on their own."

"Thank you…Sakura…"

Sakura paused in getting up to smile sadly at him. "You told me that once before."

The memory of their last meeting before he left the village flashed through his mind. When he had told her thank you and then knocked her out. He remembered picking her up, very carefully, and placing her on the bench. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, not when she had done nothing but look after him, but he knew he couldn't bear to stay in the village either.

"Oh, before I leave, your…the people who were with you, I thought you'd like to know that they all left, even Orochimaru. I'm not sure where they went though. I do know that the Mizukage wants one of them caught."

Suigetsu, no doubt.

Sasuke nodded. Sakura was just about to leave the tent before she mumbled, "Don't avoid Naruto forever. He…he really missed you, you know? So try and talk to him."

"And you? Aren't _you_ avoiding him as well?"

Sakura said nothing to that. She hadn't looked over her shoulder at him when she spoke of Naruto and Sasuke got the distinct feeling she was avoiding him. Not that it concerned him. What Sakura and Naruto did had nothing to do with Sasuke and he had no intention of sticking his nose in their business. He didn't know them anymore. Maybe things had changed between them, just as things had changed for Sasuke.

Finally, Sakura left the tent and Sasuke was left to his thoughts once more. He looked at the opening to the tent and frowned. Outside was the village. It hadn't been easy to see it when he had resurrected the hokage, and it wouldn't be easy to see it again after the war. So, laying back down, he covered himself up and forced his body to rest.

Maybe one day his mind would be at rest too.

~*NS*~

Naruto looked down at Neji's grave and at the flowers delivered. He had been put out that no one wanted or needed his help. He had asked around but everyone assured him that they had everything under control and that he should rest. He had intended to go right back to his and Sasuke's tent but…then he remembered Neji and the shinobi who had sacrificed themselves and felt he should pay them a visit. He had picked some beautiful flowers nearby, and placed one over Neji's grave. The flower he had found for Neji's grave was the same color as the eyes of the Hyuuga clan members.

Naruto opened his mouth, feeling he should say something, but no words came out. What could he say? That he was sorry? That he wished Neji didn't have to die? That he would do his best to make sure Hinata didn't die, even though he really didn't have any power over that, as the war had taught him?

There wasn't anything he could say. Neji was dead and Naruto hadn't even fulfilled his promise to him. He hadn't become hokage and he hadn't freed the second branch of the Hyuuga clan.

Sniffing, Naruto looked away from Neji's grave and bit his lip. Without a word, he turned from the grave and left.

On his way back to his tent, he noticed that everyone looked very busy but, again, assured him that they had everything under control and that he should rest. Some people smiled and nodded at him, which usually made him feel warm and good (having received negative attention his whole life, the smiles were more than welcomed), but it didn't seem to lift his spirits this time.

When he returned to his tent, he paused before going in. Rather than going back to resting, he instead went over to Sasuke's body and got on his knees next to him. Hesitantly, he gave Sasuke's shoulder a slight nudge.

"Hey, you awake?" he whispered.

After a moment of silence, Sasuke grunted, but didn't say anything.

"What, can't talk?"

Sighing, Sasuke rolled onto his back and sat up. "What do you want?"

"I want you to look at me, for one." Naruto frowned. He hated this. Sasuke was back and yet was still so far away. He felt distant and detached, cold even. Naruto didn't like it. He had lost people who were so precious to him, but that was out of his control. He refused to lose Sasuke, because he _did_ have (at least some) control over that. Sasuke was right there. He could mend their bond, but he worried Sasuke would make it difficult. He didn't think it was impossible, or maybe he just hoped it wouldn't be. He just… "I missed you," he braved admitting that part of his thoughts out loud. He didn't want to go back to the way things were before Sasuke left. He didn't want them to go back to not speaking and only fighting. He loved fighting with Sasuke, it brought him a kind of excitement he never felt with anything or anyone else, but he wanted more this time. He wanted a real friendship with Sasuke, where they were…well, _real_ with each other. He didn't want to hide behind a mask and lie about how he felt about the other boy anymore.

Straightening his back with that resolve in mind, Naruto looked at him with a serious expression. He would _not_ go back to Sasuke never taking him seriously. He would show Sasuke with his actions and words that he was very serious when it came to them and their bond with each other.

"Didn't you miss me, even a little?" Naruto asked and, despite himself, his voice was lower than he had meant to make it. When Sasuke didn't answer, he asked again, his voice louder and more firm, "Didn't you miss me? Didn't you miss being on Team 7? Did you miss Kakashi or Sakura or…_anyone_?"

"_What was there to miss_?" Sasuke eventually snapped at him, surprising him.

"I – What do you mean?"

Sasuke gave him a sharp look that made Naruto falter, but he didn't lose his posture. His face became less serious and more confused. There was a lot for Sasuke to miss! Naruto held his tongue as he thought about how everyone had loved him, admired him, and believed in him. Wasn't that worth missing? Naruto would miss it. Sakura loved Sasuke so much, and Kakashi had worked so hard to train with him, and even though they fought, Naruto had had many good memories with him as well.

Was none of that worth missing?

"I mean exactly what I said, there's nothing here for me to miss. This village murdered my family and lied to me and everyone else about it, the people here feared me, envied me, or wanted to be _with_ me. No one was my friend and no one was close to me. There is _nothing_ to miss."

To say that didn't hurt a little was a bit of an understatement.

"…Even me?" He saw Sasuke flinch, but he didn't answer. "Was I not your friend then, even though you told me I was?"

_Are you lying to me, Sasuke, or are you lying to yourself?_

"We were teammates, but we're not anymore. There's no reason for us to be friends anymore and you're a fool for even wanting to still be my friend."

"But! We worked together so well during that war! We were amazing! We _belong_ on each other's team, Sasuke! How can you not _see_ that?!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke by his shoulders and forced him to face him, irritated when Sasuke still wouldn't look him in the eyes. "Why are you making this so difficult?! I would do _anything_ for you! You're my best friend! And if _that_ makes me a fool then _fine_, I'll be a fool! But I'm not going to let you just – just brush me and the fact that we go great together off!"

His hands tightened on Sasuke's shoulders, his grip becoming bruising.

_Look at me. _

_Fucking __**look**__ at me!_

_See me._

_Acknowledge me._

_I __**need**__ you to acknowledge me!_

But Sasuke wouldn't look at him and Naruto didn't know what else to do. His grip tightened more. He wanted to punch him, that would be sure to rouse a reaction from him. He was seriously holding himself back but as more time passed,

"Naruto, let me go."

"No!" Naruto knew he meant for him to let go of Sasuke's shoulders, but Naruto saw the sentence for something more, something he could never do. Let Sasuke go? How could he do that? How could anyone ask or expect him to? Sasuke meant more to him than…

Now that was a scary thought that he wasn't ready to face.

Sasuke grabbed his wrists and forced his hands off of his shoulders. Naruto balled his hands into fists, ready to hit him, but Sasuke's hands holding his wrists stopped him.

"I don't understand you," Sasuke mumbled. "I don't understand why you care, or why you try. Everyone else gave up, even Sakura, why can't you?"

"Stupid question."

It was.

Naruto never gave up, Sasuke should know that.

"Sasuke, _look_ at me."

Sasuke let go of his wrists and lay back down.

"I'm tired, Naruto."

"Then look at me and I'll let you go back to sleep."

Sasuke didn't give a response and, after a bit of time had passed, Naruto wondered if he fell asleep. Just as he was about to shake him – harder than would ever be necessary to wake someone – Sasuke turned to look at him. Naruto thought it would be enough, but it wasn't. Those eyes held no emotion as they looked at him. They were completely blank and Naruto hated it. He loved it when Sasuke's eyes were alive and full of fire, even if it was just because he was annoyed or angry with him. But those eyes…those blank eyes…they weren't familiar or comforting at all.

"Happy?"

And that was it.

Naruto's fist flung forward and he hit Sasuke in the jaw. He heard Sasuke let out a noise but didn't pay it any mind. A second later he was on him, straddling him and punching his face.

"Argh! You drive me _insane_!"

_Fight back! _

_Fight __**back**__ you unbelievable bastard!_

Finally, Sasuke's hand caught his fist and then he was thrown off the other boy. Sasuke's fist smashed against Naruto's left cheek as he was thrown off. When he looked back at Sasuke, there it was. The fire that was all too familiar in his eyes.

Naruto's heart was racing.

Fighting with Sasuke was always so exhilarating, for reasons he didn't want to analyze. They were about to lunge at each other when someone came storming in the tent.

The thought of people interrupting them didn't even cross their minds. The medics were probably too scared to interrupt them and Sakura was probably busy with other patients, so both of them felt free to let loose and didn't stop until their faces were bruised and swollen.

And Naruto felt a lot better afterwards, even though his face hurt like hell, it was better.

They lay side by side on the ground, breathing heavy as their bodies cooled down. Naruto turned his head to the side and spit out some blood before turning to face Sasuke.

"I think you broke my nose."

Sasuke snorted.

"Sakura's gonna be mad."

Sasuke didn't respond at all to that, but Naruto didn't dwell on it.

After a few more minutes, Sasuke finally spoke.

"I didn't break your nose."

Naruto's lips twitched. "No?"

Sasuke turned to look at him, and Naruto was happy that he didn't have to be told to this time, but also confused. His eyes weren't blank, but they weren't angry or annoyed, either. He didn't know what the emotion he saw in them was, but they made his stomach turn and he wasn't sure if it was pleasant or not.

"Things will never be as they were, Naruto."

Well, it was certainly unpleasant now.

His voice shook a little. "Why not?"

"Because too much has changed. You've changed…I've changed…even Sakura has changed."

Naruto was the one who broke eye contact, looking up at the top of the tent. He bit his lip and tried to keep the hurt from showing too much.

"It's the truth, and you know it."

He heard Sasuke get up from the ground and go back to his bed. Naruto didn't say anything this time, nor did he follow him or go back to his own bed. He just lay there, on the ground, thinking about the old days with Team 7. He wanted it back so much. The _feelings_ that he felt during that time…

It was the happiest he had ever been.

He heard Sasuke's breathing even out and knew he was asleep this time. Closing his eyes, Naruto thought back to the days when he would fall asleep with Sasuke not too far away from him. He pictured that scene now, around a camp fire, or at an inn, when they went out on missions. It felt so good, to not be alone in a room or even outside. Having another body near him while he slept was more comforting than he cared to admit. It made him feel warm and happy.

Why couldn't he have that back?


	3. Of fake and sincere smiles

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 3: Of fake and sincere smiles

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: There's a bit of a time skip between the last chapter and this chapter, but not a long one, just a couple of months. I also don't remember if Naruto's home was destroyed during Pain's attack but…in this story, it was. ^^;

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when he fell back onto his new bed. Time had passed since the war had ended. All of the shinobi who participated in the war and survived were now back in their own villages. He was a bit down that he didn't get to see any of them off. He wouldn't have minded saying goodbye to Bee and Gaara, especially, but he was sure he'd see them again, maybe when he became hokage.

Hokage…

He frowned as he looked at the ceiling. He wondered if Sasuke was really serious about that. The others certainly didn't seem to take him too seriously, and he kind of felt…bad? Having lived his whole life being laughed at, he really couldn't stand seeing anyone else being on the receiving end. When he was younger, maybe he would have been okay with Sasuke being on the receiving end for once…or would he? He had always felt an affinity for the other boy, no matter how much he had once tried to deny it, but maybe if Sasuke had been laughed at growing up too, they could have bonded sooner and he never would have left.

Aaah, why did he have to think of such pointless things _now_?!

Putting an arm over his eyes, he went back to his previous thought. Why did Sasuke want to be hokage all of a sudden? He had never seemed to care about it before… Sasuke's dream had always been to get revenge. Didn't he still want that? He wanted so badly to ask him, but didn't know how to bring it up. Also, Sasuke hadn't really talked to him much after they left their tent. He hadn't seen Sakura either. They were all busy recovering, helping others recover, and rebuilding their village so it looked new. Naruto got a new apartment; Sasuke got a new apartment as well, though he was on watch. Naruto had argued with Tsunade about it, but she stated that if she let him do as he pleased she would lose credibility. Naruto _guessed_ he understood, but it still aggravated him. He _hated_ seeing Sasuke treated like a traitor (even if he was, Naruto didn't want to see him that way and he didn't like that others did).

Couldn't they just let Sasuke come back to Team 7 so everything could be as it was? They would meet on the bridge, Naruto would come to see Sakura and Sasuke standing there in silence. Sakura would be ogling Sasuke while he ignored her, and then Sakura would say Naruto's breath smelled because he forgot to brush his teeth. Kakashi would be late with some stupid excuse and he and Sakura would call him out on being a liar.

But then…he and Sasuke weren't on good terms then, and he didn't want to go back to that…but still, those memories, they were _so_ precious to him. It was at that moment that he felt like he _belonged_ somewhere.

They were a _family_.

_His_ family.

Sitting up in bed, Naruto looked at his night stand, but there was no picture lying on it anymore. He had lost his old picture of Team 7 and that hurt. He didn't want to sound like a sap, but that was his most cherished item. Sasuke was back though, so maybe they could take another picture together. For that to happen, Sasuke needed to get off of this stupid watch. After all, Sasuke had helped a lot in the war, didn't that mean _anything_? To Naruto…it meant a _lot_, and he was irrationally upset that it didn't mean as much to anyone else. Didn't it mean anything to Sakura? He hadn't seen much of her, but what he did see…she didn't look happy. But why? This was what they wanted! They had worked so hard to get Sasuke to come back and, even if they didn't play as big of a role in it, Sasuke was back! She should be _ecstatic_!

Standing up, Naruto decided to pay someone a visit and left his apartment in a hurry.

~*NS*~

Sasuke watched Sakura put a flower vase on his table. She wore a soft smile, but there wasn't much emotion in it. Sasuke wondered if she was forcing herself to be there with him, but didn't know why she would. It wasn't as if she owed him anything.

"You should keep the curtains open more, let some light in here," she said as she walked over to his window, opening the curtains. "Plus that flower is real so it's going to need some sunlight."

"You don't have to be here, you know."

Sakura turned to him with a puzzled frown. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you can stop pretending. I hate it when you do that."

This time there was emotion in her soft smile as she lowered her head. Sadness. He wished it didn't make him feel as bad as it did.

"You hate a lot about me. You always have."

"Sakura."

"It's fine. You know, even though you hate me, you were always so good at reading me. Way better than Naruto. I swear, that guy never knows how I'm feeling. Even after Pain attacked, I was looking for comfort but…he didn't even know I needed it, but you would. I thought that, then, that you would be able to tell because you always did. Like back when we were about to enter the chunin exams, and I was so nervous and scared I'd hold you guys back…Naruto had no idea how I was feeling then, but you did, and you made me feel better." She looked at him, the sadness in her smile was still there, but there was something else now, a sort of sad happiness. "You gave me more courage. I was so happy."

Sasuke broke eye contact with her. He didn't want to remember that time. He didn't want to remember, really remember, just how important his teammates had been to him. How he had thought of them both as close friends, as a second family. It made him forget the pain he had lived with his whole life, made him _happy_, which also made him weak.

Didn't it?

"I'm not forcing myself to be here." There was no lie in Sakura's voice, but Sasuke gave no acknowledgement to it. "I'm happy you're back, really, I am. I just…I'm not like Naruto. I know it'll never be the same, and I know you'll…never feel the same as me. I guess I'm just…really, _really_ starting to get that." _And it hurts like hell_, went unsaid, but Sasuke could hear it in her voice. "You will never be in love with me and I…I will never be in love with Naruto."

"So you're avoiding him?"

"It was easy to ignore at first, because we were both still focused on you, and then the war. But now, there's nothing to distract us. And I can't just ignore it forever, can I?"

"But you're ignoring him."

"I know. I'm being a coward, aren't I?" Sakura sat on the window sill. "I'm not sure why I'm so hesitant. I guess after everything, I don't want to hurt him. He doesn't…deserve that. But I can't make myself feel the way he might want me to…if he still does, anyway. I'm not so sure how he feels anymore. He's changed, you know? He's changed a lot since you left and I can't read him."

"You don't have to explain this to me, Sakura. It's not my business."

"I know, but I'm telling you as a friend."

Sasuke looked back at her. "A friend?"

"Yes." Sakura stood back up and walked over to him, stopping when she was in front of him. Her eyes looked more determined now, though they still held some hurt. "No matter what happens, we will always be friends. I…love you. Even if you don't love me back, I will always love you. Maybe…maybe one day I'll love you in a way that won't hurt so much, but I'll always be there for you. I'll always worry about you and I'll always try and look after you. Don't even _try_ to stop me."

It would be pointless to, he knew. She didn't have to tell him. After all, no matter what he had done before, she had always looked after him, she had always cared so earnestly about him.

He had never told her, but he…had appreciated it.

They were silent for a few moments, not knowing what else to say. He didn't think there was anything to be said, except…

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"I never hated you."

Sakura's eyes widened a bit at that, and slowly, she began to smile for real. He saw her eyes become misty, but tears never fell. She was stronger than before.

"Thank you…Sasuke…"

~*NS*~

Naruto huffed as he left the hokage's office. He had intended to convince her to end this stupid surveillance thing with Sasuke and give him his freedom, but it didn't go as planned.

"_The fact that he helped us out in the war is why he's not being executed! Understand, Naruto, that the normal punishment for his crimes is death. I'm being more than lenient with him. You're lucky the eight tailed __jinchūriki__is alive, otherwise we'd have his brother to deal with." _

Naruto knew all of that damn it! He just…he just wanted things to get back to the way they were supposed to be. He hadn't been out on a mission with his team in _forever_! Hell, he'd even settle for a crappy mission chasing some crazy lady's cat again! Crossing his arms as he walked along the street, he wondered how long it would take. He was never a very patient person. He thought Tsunade would be more sympathetic, since she left the village herself without permission a long time ago. Granted, she didn't cause as much trouble as Sasuke when gone, but still! Even Gaara, who killed multiple people, _innocent_ people, didn't have to put up with this when he finally turned good. And hadn't they forgiven him for attacking them when he was in the village (and, hell, even trying to kill Naruto _and_ his team?!)? Why was Sasuke so different? He hadn't even actually attacked their village, he instead helped save it!

Ugh, he needed to stop thinking about it. It was starting to put him in a really bad mood.

"Naruto?"

Naruto's head snapped up to see Sai. He was giving Naruto a curious and concerned look. Deciding not to worry Sai with his thoughts, as he hated worrying anyone with them, he threw on a big grin and gave Sai's shoulder a slap.

"Hey, Sai! What's up?"

"You looked upset."

"Baaah, I didn't have enough money for ramen!"

"I see…"

"So what are you doing out? Are you going somewhere?"

"Ah, I was thinking about heading to see Tsunade, to see if she knows where I'm being placed next."

Naruto blinked at him, confused. "Eh? Placed? What do you mean?"

"Well, once Sasuke's able to take missions again, I won't be on your team anymore. There's only supposed to be four people per team, not six. That wouldn't be very fair to the other teams, now would it?"

"Eh?! But you're a part of team 7 now too!"

"I was a replacement." Sai gave him a fake smile and Naruto wanted to punch it off of his face. "I would have thought you'd be happy. You weren't very happy when I first came, after all. You always wanted Sasuke back, now he is."

"That was a long time ago," Naruto frowned. "We're friends now."

"But not family."

Naruto's heart clenched at that. He wanted to say otherwise. He wanted to tell Sai that yes, he was family too, but in his heart, he had never thought of him that way. Whenever he thought of his family, his Team 7, it was always just Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi and him. Sometimes not even Kakashi. They were his family. His most precious people. Sai was an important friend to him, but it was different.

"You're important to me."

The small smile Sai gave in return wasn't entirely fake, but wasn't entirely happy either.

"I know."

"We're still gonna be friends, you know."

Sai's smile became happier and more genuine with that. But Naruto really meant that! He didn't like Sai so much at first, but they had bonded. He didn't want to give up _any_ of his bonds. He would make sure Sai didn't disappear from his life; he really was a good friend to him now.

"We're still gonna hang out. You can hang out with us whenever you want!"

"Thank you, Naruto."

With that, they parted ways. Naruto watched Sai's back for a bit, feeling oddly lonely. He felt as if he had lost something. A teammate. They would still be friends, but they wouldn't be teammates anymore. That…that hurt more than he thought it would.

Once Sai disappeared, Naruto turned in the direction of Sasuke's apartment.

~*NS*~

Sasuke sighed when he heard his door being thrown open, the other person not even bothering to knock. There was only one person he knew who lacked that much tact.

"Naruto."

He could feel Naruto behind him as he sat at his kitchen table, his two untouched BLT sandwiches in front of him. He didn't have to turn around to know the look Naruto was giving him. Determination, hurt, anger, and…other things he pretended he didn't see.

Naruto walked over to the other side of the table so that they were face to face. He didn't need to be invited; he just barged in and sat at his table as if this was his own home.

"First Sakura and now you. I can't get a moment alone."

Surprise overtook Naruto's eyes. "Eh? Sakura was here? When?"

"Earlier. She left not too long ago."

"Oh…has she…been coming here often?"

"Often enough," Sasuke answered as he picked up one of his sandwiches and bit into it. The flavor of the tomato dominated the lettuce and bacon, which was exactly how he liked it.

"Oh." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "I guess that's probably why I haven't seen much of her."

Sasuke swallowed and took another bite. There was nothing for him to say to that. It really wasn't his place to tell him of Sakura's reason for avoiding him. She would tell him in her own time. He was hesitant to admit it, but he felt a certain kinship building between them again, and he wasn't sure if that was safe.

He _definitely_ wasn't sure if it would be safe with Naruto.

Reaching forward, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's other sandwich, ignoring Sasuke's glare.

"I'm eating this."

"Still have the manners of a three year old, I see."

Naruto shrugged and bit into the sandwich and almost instantly made a face as he swallowed. "Ewww, all I taste is the tomato." He peeked at the contents. "Why did you put such a thick piece in there? I can barely taste anything else!"

"Because that's the way _I _like it. If you don't, then make your own."

"Baah, I hate making food," Naruto complained as he took another bite. "This definitely isn't better than ramen. I guess I'll just have to adapt to your shitty tasting sandwiches."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "Don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting."

"Kind of like this sandwich," Naruto joked and laughed loudly, some of the food from his mouth going on his table.

Damn it. He would be the one cleaning that!

They ate the rest of their sandwiches in silence and Sasuke was a little miffed that Naruto stole his second one. His appetite wasn't sated.

"You know I made that second sandwich for a reason."

"Eh? Who cares? Maaah, I'm still so hungry! Do you have any ramen?"

"_No_."

"Come on, you like ramen! You went to eat at Ichiraku's with us, remember?"

"Yes, but I don't make a habit of eating cup ramen every day."

"Bah, it's cheap and good, what more could ya ask for?"

"Nutrition."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't mock my love." There was a spark in Naruto's eyes, and he grinned widely at Sasuke. It kind of weirded him out, but he didn't say anything. "It's funny, huh?"

"What is?"

"How easy this is. I mean, it's not just me, right?"

"This isn't easy for me at all. I'm still hungry, thanks to you."

"Hey, we were supposed to have a moment! Way to ruin it before it started."

"You ruin moments all of the time. Last time you were here you farted."

"Oh, like you never do!"

"We had to open the window and you were laughing."

"Your face was funny!"

Sasuke shook his head as Naruto laughed it out, apparently reliving the experience in his head. It wasn't _that_ funny. Naruto had come to see him often enough. Some days were good, others weren't so good. They argued about how things would be from now on. Sasuke would try to be realistic while Naruto was idealistic. Naruto made promises that Sasuke told him he shouldn't make. He kept promising to make things better and easier for Sasuke, but Sasuke knew it would take awhile. He was just worried that this would make becoming hokage harder, but he didn't seem to have as much drive as he thought he would. Honestly, he really had no idea to go about becoming hokage. It wasn't as if he could order it to happen or kill someone to make it happen.

And while he was on watch, someone else could take the title and mess things up just as the previous hokages did.

"It's weird though. I mean, Sakura's here all the time and yet we've never bumped into each other. I wonder what's up with her…" Naruto abruptly brought up as he shifted in his seat, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Hey, did she say anything to you? Is she like, mad at me or just really busy?"

"She's not mad at you, but I don't know if she's busy." It wasn't a lie. He really didn't know what she did when she wasn't with him. For all he knew she could be swamped with things to do.

"Yeah, but I kind of miss her. Maybe I'll see her tomorrow."

"You could see her tonight."

"What, and leave you here, all alone? Never." Naruto gasped dramatically before looking off to the side to ponder. "Hmmm, maybe I'll stay here tonight."

"You're just going to invite yourself over?"

"What? You've already said I have no manners."

Sighing, Sasuke got up from the table. "Do what you want. I'm going to take a shower."

"Eh, aren't you still hungry?"

"Yes, but since you ate my sandwich and invited yourself to stay over, you're going to make us something while I shower." It was only fair.

"Fine, but nothing with tomatoes!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke left the room.

~*NS*~

Naruto watched Sasuke leave the room, the smile on his face faded once he was gone. This felt…nice but not as nice as he had hoped. Something about Sasuke was different. He was talking to Naruto, but he didn't seem to really be there. He felt as if Sasuke was still so far away, even though he had been sitting right across from him.

He had come over because he had been feeling lonely. Idly, he wondered if Sasuke was feeling lonely too, but even if he wasn't, Naruto still would have come. He wanted to be around Sasuke, to be with him, to be friends again. He was slowly coming to acknowledge that Sasuke was different now, but it didn't matter. It didn't! He was still _Sasuke_. Naruto would just have to come to know the new Sasuke. He was sure he'd still be the same in some ways. He was still somewhat introverted whereas Naruto would always be a social butterfly.

He just hoped Sasuke would _let_ Naruto get to know him. He would have to try to really wiggle his way back into his heart. Had he really ever left? It was so hard to tell. Sasuke let Naruto around him. He had tried to kick him out the first time he came to visit, but he should have known better. He would never be able to get rid of him. Naruto cared too much; it frightened even himself sometimes _how_ much.

He just…needed to figure out how to get back in, which he would do. He was Naruto, after all. He could do anything if he just put his mind to it!

Nodding to himself, he got up and began digging through Sasuke's fridge, trying to decide on what to make them.

~*NS*~

Sakura had her head down as she walked through the streets. She thought about Sasuke, about Naruto, and about herself. They were a sad love triangle. She loved Sasuke, but he would never love her the same way. Naruto loved her, but she could never love him the same way. She wondered if there was anyone Sasuke loved, but didn't really want to think about that. She didn't want to know. Her heart was officially broken. It had been hurt before at his rejections, but this felt more final. She would not chase after Sasuke anymore, and that hurt a hell of a lot more than she ever thought it would.

She was finally giving up her dream, because that's all it was.

A dream.

A _fantasy_.

And they never come true.

She lived in reality and in reality, people got hurt, people got rejected, and people left for reasons one may not ever come to understand.

Forcing her head up, she decided that she would walk with her chin up. She wouldn't let this destroy her. There were worse things to deal with. At least Sasuke was here, was home. People were lost in the war, she would not take it for granted, even if every step away from Sasuke's apartment made her heard hurt even more.

"I'm running into all of my old teammates today."

Sakura saw Sai and forced a smile. "Hey, Sai." She knew he wouldn't be able to stay on the team, but he would always be a good friend to her, and to Naruto too. She just hoped Sasuke didn't come to completely hate him later on. That would make things…complicated and awkward for the rest of them. But she would always care for him even if Sasuke didn't.

"I saw Naruto earlier today, when I was on my way to see Tsunade, and then I come back only to see you," he smiled.

"You saw Naruto? How is he doing?"

"He seemed upset, but he didn't tell me why."

Hopefully it didn't have to do with her.

"I see… So, what did Tsunade say?"

"She offered me a chance to join ANBU if I wanted, or I could join another team who lost a member. I could join Shikamaru's team, or Gai's, since they're short a member. If I don't, someone else will join, but I'm not sure which option I want yet."

"There's still time to decide. Sasuke won't be able to join us for missions for awhile."

"Yes, but I would like to have it figured out sooner rather than later. It would give me some peace of mind. Did you…" Sai stepped closer to her, looking at her in an almost…analytical way. "Did you see Sasuke?"

"Huh? Oh, I just came back."

"I see. I figured that was the case. You always have the same look when you leave there."

She blinked. "Eh? What look?"

"I'm not sure…I've never seen the look, but I think I might have read about it. Like…you got your heart broken."

Sakura had to force herself not to avert her gaze. "I'm fine."

"You're not. Sakura, you taught me that fake smiles are different from real ones. Did you think I wouldn't be able to tell the difference now?"

Sakura's smile faltered. "I'm…"

What should she say? It wasn't as if she could magically make herself happy when she wasn't, but she didn't really want to talk about it.

"Do you want to go out for some jell-O?"

"Eh?"

"When a friend is sad or troubled, isn't it right to stay with them so that they're not alone? Also, I read that some people like to eat when they're sad. It didn't say it was good, but so long as you don't go overboard, I think it should be fine."

She wasn't sure if she should thank him or just stare.

She didn't want to be alone, but she couldn't exactly go back to Sasuke and she wasn't ready to see Naruto. Just for tonight, she wanted to be selfish and do what she needed to do for herself, to make herself better.

She would deal with the rest tomorrow.

"Okay, Sai. Thank you. You're a good friend."


	4. The way things were

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 4: The way things were (and the way things are)

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: Yes, for those of you who noticed I did change the title of the story. The first title was only meant to be temporary from the start until I thought of something better. This title fits the story more, I feel, because it really is a story about life moving on and just moving on/movement in general.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

When Naruto first woke up, he didn't remember where he was. It took him a minute to realize that he was in Sasuke's home, drooling on his couch pillows and wrapped up in a blanket that smelled of him. It was…surreal. He had never spent the night at another person's house before, minus the times when he was on a mission. He had never thought he would be staying over at Sasuke's home…ever. When he was a kid, he would rather drink poison than admit he would ever want to, but, honestly, the thought had crossed his mind often as a child. He and Sasuke were both alone. Naruto had been lonely and thought Sasuke was too, so he would sometimes think of them staying at each other's home and…not being alone anymore.

It had been his guilty fantasy, but he supposed it wasn't so much of a fantasy anymore, and that fact made him feel a little warm.

Sitting up on the couch, he looked at Sasuke's bedroom door and wondered if he was up. A part of him wanted to throw the door open and jump on the bed. It would be funny, to surprise Sasuke awake. Maybe they would wrestle on the bed until one of them screamed uncle…actually no, he couldn't see Sasuke doing that, but the thought was amusing enough to make him grin.

Standing up and stretching, he walked to Sasuke's bedroom door and peeked inside. He frowned when he saw that Sasuke was still in bed. He could see his form under the navy blue blankets. He smiled softly when he saw Sasuke's foot, which was sticking out from under the covers, twitch every now and then. Slipping into Sasuke's room, Naruto tip toed closer to him and wondered what he was dreaming; however, when Naruto was able to see his face, his smile turned into a frown.

Sasuke…didn't look like he was having a nice dream, and he wondered if his twitching foot meant that he was running, and that was followed by a lot of awful imagery he didn't want to have.

He imagined Sasuke feeling alone and trapped, running from something or someone. It was so hard to imagine, but he remembered that Sasuke wasn't always so strong all the time. He remembered the time when they went on their first dangerous mission, when they went up against Zabuza. He remembered when they were in the forest and fought with Orochimaru, and he remembered when he first met Itachi. True, Sasuke hadn't shown much fear with Itachi – mostly rage – but Naruto sure did. All of those memories roused a strange protective feeling in him, and he could feel it surfacing now. He reached forward and grabbed Sasuke's shoulder, shaking him awake and pulling him out of his bad dream.

Sasuke gasped and quickly smacked Naruto's hand away, shooting up in bed and breathing harshly. Naruto stood silently while Sasuke composed himself, not really sure what he should say or do. He doubted Sasuke wanted any comfort and, honestly, Naruto wasn't sure he'd know how to give it even if Sasuke _did_ want it.

When Sasuke's breathing calmed down, Naruto was surprised at the sharp look he received. It wasn't as if _he_ made Sasuke have a nightmare, so why the hell was he being looked at like that?

"What are you doing in my room?" Sasuke said in something close to a growl, seeming to go on the defensive.

"I was just seeing if you were up! Jeez, stop lookin' at me like that!"

Sasuke's shoulders tensed and he looked away. "Just…leave."

"Eh? But…" Naruto's own shoulders sagged. "But I thought we could hang out a little today, maybe have breakfast together…"

"I can eat by myself."

"I didn't say you couldn't! I –"

"I _want_ to be alone."

Naruto balled his fists, feeling his nails dig into his skin. He wanted to argue and fight, but wasn't completely sure why. Sasuke was just so _impossible_ sometimes! Was it too much to ask to just have breakfast together?! They had such a good night too! He had thought they were making progress but Sasuke was _insistent_ on keeping his distance! It was starting to grate on Naruto's nerves. He felt the warmth of anger inside of him and wanted to lash out, but the hurt that accompanied the feeling kept him frozen.

"_Fine_," he snapped, and, finally, left Sasuke's room, slamming the door on his way out.

~*NS*~

Naruto didn't get home until a little while later. He had decided he needed a walk to blow off steam and ended up at the training grounds where he worked off his anger. It had been early enough that no one else was there, and when Naruto realized what time it was exactly, he was surprised he was up at all. He slept fine at Sasuke's house, but he supposed he had been too excited to sleep for too long.

What was up with Sasuke anyway? Why did he have to make everything so much harder than it was? Was it so hard to just…_not_ be such an _asshole_ all the time?

Why was he so mad about being kicked out? Not just out Sasuke's apartment, but out of Sasuke's life, out of Sasuke's _everything_. Naruto wanted in. He would let Sasuke in…maybe. It would be weird at first, but Naruto wanted it enough to learn how to do it. He had never let anyone in before, not completely, but he wanted to be on equal ground with Sasuke. He wanted to know him and to be known by him. For some reason, it was important to him.

_Maaah, whatever, I'll figure it out later. Right now I just want to go home and take a shower. _He was soaked in sweat from his workout. Plus he hadn't taken a shower the previous night.

When he got to his apartment, he was surprised to find Sakura standing outside of his door. She was looking down with a morose expression, her hands together at her chest. She seemed…hesitant, and Naruto couldn't understand why. He hadn't seen her in awhile and he was curious as to why. If she had time to visit Sasuke, couldn't she make time for him? But that was how it had been last time. She always made time for Sasuke, and a part of Naruto was glad that she was doing that again, but another part was…not very happy about it, but he wasn't sure if he was upset or annoyed. But…at least she was making time to see him now, but why was she so hesitant about it? Had he done or said something? They had fought in the war and…that was it. She hadn't come to see him at the tent, so he couldn't have done or said anything then.

Slapping on a grin, he decided to just go and talk to her.

"Hey, Sakura! What are you doing here?" he shouted as he walked toward her, waving his hand in the air.

Sakura started as she turned to him. "Oh, Naruto! You surprised me. What are you doing out here?" She smiled at him as she laced her fingers behind her back and leaned forward at him. It was a cute pose that would have made his younger self blush. Now, though, he was a little more used to Sakura and being around her. Seeing her like that, though, warmed his heart. She looked a little more like the Sakura he remembered, but something also seemed off about it that made him pause, unsure of how to react.

"Huh? Oh, I was just at the training grounds." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He decided not to tell her that she spent the night at Sasuke's. It wasn't that he was embarrassed or…that it was a secret, but he didn't want to talk about the state Sasuke was in when he woke up. He had a feeling Sasuke wouldn't appreciate word getting out that he still had nightmares and had slept with his guard down.

Sakura blinked. "The training grounds? This early?"

"Yeah, guess I couldn't sleep. So, what are you doing here?"

Sakura's smile waned, but only a little. "I just…came to see you. I want to talk to you."

"Is it a mission? Or is it something from Grandma Tsunade?"

"Neither. Umm…" Sakura looked around. "Do you mind if we talk inside?"

"Oh! Sure!" Naruto walked past her and unlocked the door. He opened it wide to let Sakura in first, and then he went in, closing the door behind him. Sakura walked over to his kitchen table and leaned back against it, sitting on the edge and looking at him seriously. Naruto put his keys away and waited for her to speak, but when she took too long, he grinned nervously and asked, "Um, so, you wanted to talk to me?"

Sakura smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I'm not really sure where to begin."

"Maybe we can talk about something else for a little?"

"Okay."

"Did you go to see Sasuke yet?"

Sakura smiled and lowered her head, shaking it softly. "No. Not yet. I might not go to see him today."

"Eh?! But why?"

"I talked to him yesterday and I'm just…not ready to see him." She rubbed her arm and looked off to the side. Naruto frowned. What could she have talked to him about that would make her not want to see him? Sakura always wanted to see Sasuke. She had missed him so much. He knew she did.

"But…you missed him so much. Why would you want to be away from him now that he's back? Haven't you been going to see him?"

"Did he tell you that?"

"Yeah."

"I see… It's good that you two are talking."

"So what did you two talk about?"

"I just…told him I that I loved him and that I know…he doesn't love me…and that I know he doesn't and so I'm…not going to chase after him anymore. Not like that. It's time that we all just…move on." Inhaling deeply, Sakura straightened and faced Naruto. "What about you, Naruto?"

Naruto wasn't sure what to say to that. Sakura…give up on Sasuke? But he was her dream! He wanted to tell her that he didn't like it when she joked about that stuff, but he could tell by the way she looked when she told him that she wasn't joking. She had really done it. She had done what Naruto had never been able to do. She had let go.

"Naruto." Sakura walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I know you want everything to go back to the way it was before, but that's…just not possible, and I don't think it's a good idea."

Why?

Sure, things hadn't been perfect back then, but they could fix those parts and let everything else just…fall back into place. Couldn't they just piece everything back together so it made the same picture?

"Because we're not the same people. I'm not the same, Sasuke's not the same…you're not the same."

Naruto looked away from her. He knew that. He did. He didn't want to go back to being who he had been, and some things…he wanted to change…but everything? Did _everything_ have to change?

"Naruto, I came here to talk about your feelings for me, but I'm not sure what those are anymore. I know what they used to be… I know you had a crush on me and I know you liked me, maybe even loved me, but…what about now?"

What about now? Naruto had always been into Sakura. Always. Naruto was loyal, his heart wouldn't stray.

"I love you."

"I know you do. I love you too, but, not like…"

"I know." He did know. Sakura had always held a special kind of love for Sasuke. He thought that the love she had for him was special too, but…not in a romantic way. Not like Sasuke. There was no desire, no passion, there was…companionship though, and there was that on his side too. He tried to think back to a time where he was passionate about Sakura…but he couldn't remember.

Where had his passion gone?

Sakura's hand dropped from Naruto's cheek. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, acknowledging and accepting her apology, but not saying anything. What was there to say? He had never been rejected like this before, had never rejected anyone before. He found himself looking elsewhere, anywhere but at her. The room felt tense, the bond between them felt tense, just like his bond with Sasuke. He felt…helpless, because he didn't know how to fix it right then and there. Was there something he could say or do?

Well, he knew what he had to do.

He really _had_ loved her. He still did…so he was going to let her go.

For her…and for him.

It hurt.

It wasn't the first time he had been rejected by Sakura, but it would be the last time.

Sakura wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his shoulder. He froze at first, but wrapped his arms around her in return.

"You're an amazing friend, Naruto. One day you'll find your soul mate, and I will too."

"You're such a romantic," Naruto tried to laugh, but it came out forced and his voice cracked a little.

"Always have been, always will be…"

~*NS*~

After Naruto left, there really wasn't anything for Sasuke to do. He absolutely _hated_ his current situation. He hated being locked up like some deranged animal. He didn't even know how long he would remain like this. The current hokage didn't give him a release date or any hints of anything he could possibly do to get out. He could just break out, he knew, but he also knew that that wouldn't win him any points with anyone. He had to be patient.

But damn, it would be so much easier if he could just…complete a mission of some sort to prove himself.

Sasuke collapsed on his bed and took a deep breath. He had just finished his home work out routine but it just wasn't the same as training. He kind of missed it, having someone to spar with. He knew Naruto would be willing to spar with him once he was out, but he wasn't so sure that was a good idea. Sasuke was…weird when he fought with Naruto. He felt weird, different. It excited him and made him feel…strangely vulnerable and open. Not open to attack, per se, but just open.

He remembered fighting alongside Naruto in the war. He was all over the place, emotionally, but fighting beside him was…

Closing his eyes, he stopped that thought. It would do no good to think about it; however, once his mind left that thought, it went to his dream. He hadn't had a nightmare about his family in a long time, but being back in Konoha after knowing what the elders had done was harder than he expected. It was…sort of painful. He wasn't living in his family's estate anymore, wasn't surrounded by the memories, but he was still haunted by them. The village was being rebuilt, but he could still see his family's ghosts lingering in areas that they had taken him to as a child.

Those wounds would never heal. A part of Sasuke didn't want them to heal. If they did…he might lose his motivation, he might get close to his old team again, and he might become weak with the happiness that came with being healed and surrounded by loved ones.

Still…

He rubbed his chest as he sat up on his bed, looking down at his floor.

He wasn't sure what to do, really. He needed something, something to cling to. He needed a purpose, a direction.

Where was he going?

He hadn't allowed that thought to pass through his mind. He had always had something to cling to, some emotion or goal, but without that he felt…empty, and lost. He had a goal in mind, to become hokage, but no sure road that would get him to that point. Now that the war was over and everything was settling down, his desire was waning and he didn't know what to do about it.

_Where am I going? Where do I go from here? How do I get to where I need to be and…what do I do when I get there? _

~*NS*~

Naruto laid alone in his bed thinking about Sakura and Sasuke and how things were changing. He wasn't wholly comfortable with everything, but there was nothing that could be done about it. There were some things he had been going out of his way to try and change, to make things better for him and…for some others, maybe these changes would better things for everyone too. Still, he felt a sort of loss with Sakura's rejection, just as he had with Sai's departure.

He really did love Sakura. It wasn't really the same as when he was younger, but it was better. Was it still romantic? He didn't know anymore. He hadn't…thought much about it. He knew that, had she asked him out on a date, he'd be excited, but that was normal, right? He had never been on a real date before, and going with Sakura would have been fun.

But where had his passion gone? Had he ever been passionate with Sakura? He had desired her, but the passion wasn't there. There had always been something lacking in his love for Sakura, and maybe that was it.

Still, his heart hurt. He had thought about going to see Sasuke afterward, to see if he was okay after his nightmare, but he felt the need to be alone for the rest of the day and night. To…mourn, he supposed. To mourn what could have been. If he and Sakura had ever gotten together, he could have been happy, but was being with her what made him _happiest_? Well, getting stronger made him happiest, because it brought him closer to…

He frowned.

He looked toward his nightstand, thinking about the picture that had once stood on his old one. He had always looked at it from time to time, to make sure he remembered what was important, which, at the time, was to get Sasuke to come home and mend their bond.

His heart wouldn't stray…

But where was it? He had lost track of it…

Who had it?

It didn't matter. Maybe no one had it, so he should stop thinking about it. Besides, all that really mattered to Naruto at the moment was that the gap between him and Sasuke was bridged. He would help Sasuke in whatever way he could, but he wasn't sure what was going to happen once Sasuke was out and they were competing over the title of Hokage. He couldn't think about that. He would deal with it when the time came, which probably wouldn't be for awhile. So why bother worrying over it?


	5. Getting closer to wounds left unhealed

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 5: Getting closer to wounds left unhealed

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: It's been awhile since I worked on this, but I wanted to finish up some other things. Anyway, another time skip in this. I want to move things along, as this story isn't supposed to be more than ten chapters. I'm pretty sure this will be the last time skip though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

Sasuke was a free man.

_Finally_.

After various trials and interrogations, the village trusted him enough to let him out of his apartment and, hopefully, on missions as well. Real missions. Not just missions he went on to prove his loyalty. Not that those were bad, certainly better than sitting around in his apartment with nothing to do.

The last mission was very important. It was a rescue mission that he had to complete with a team other than his old one. He hadn't been on a mission with his old team since before he left for Orochimaru, but he had been on a few with other teams, to build up trust with the rest of the village. Sakura and Naruto already forgave Sasuke, and Kakashi just…took things as they came. Tsunade was trying to get _other_ teams to accept him, and putting him on missions with them helped with that. He hadn't been team captain on any of the missions, and it was a little weird to be taking orders from someone again, but he adapted.

His body was adapting as well. He had been sitting around, unable to do anything (not even train) for so long that this muscles ached after the first few missions. It bothered him because he felt out of shape, but the ache was nice at the same time because it meant that he was at least doing _something_.

After this last mission, though, his muscles weren't so sore. He hadn't gotten injured either. The mission went along smoothly, even if his teammates were weary of him at first. They spent a week together on the mission and day by day, they became more comfortable with him.

Of course, there were still others who were reluctant to accept him back and held onto old grudges. Sasuke supposed he couldn't blame them, but he wasn't going to fret over it either. He had never cared much if people liked him, so it just didn't matter to him if they still hated them.

But should it?

If he was still planning to be hokage, shouldn't it matter what the others thought of him?

He had been thinking about his new goal for a long while, but he was stuck. When he had first made the decision to become hokage, it was quick one that he didn't think too much on. It was a spur of the moment decision, based on what he had heard from the other hokage. He had been serious about it then, but that was slipping away as hesitation began to grow. He still wanted to become hokage, to make sure that what had happened to his clan didn't happen again, to clean up the mess, but there were parts of the job that he wasn't sure he was fit for.

Thinking about it all the time was giving him a headache. He shelved the thoughts aside, for now. He would think about it later. Tonight, he just wanted to go home, take a hot shower, and go to bed. He was walking to his home now, unescorted for the first time. It was a pleasant walk. He looked at his surroundings. The village had been rebuilt to look almost exactly the same. There were only a few differences here and there.

It was nostalgic. Looking at the village brought a feeling of nostalgia in him and it made him feel a little melancholy. He had never thought he would walk these streets again. He had been so sure, when he had left, that that would have been his last walk. He remembered how he didn't look at anything when he left. He kept his head tilted down, his eyes only in front of him. His heart had been heavy, but he was determined. He knew he couldn't stay there any longer, and that if he didn't leave to see what Orochimaru could offer him, he would regret it. He would have grown to become bitter and resentful, he thought, maybe even to his own team. It had already started happening. He had been so angry at Naruto back then. He felt Naruto was improving so much faster than him. He might have grown to hate him if he hadn't left. He knew his teammates would be hurt by it (and maybe even resent _him_), but he didn't think they'd be hurt too badly, not as badly as he had been hurt anyway. He was sure they'd move on, so he was surprised when they kept chasing him. He expected to be pursued to be executed, but he didn't think he'd continue to be pursued in order to…be convinced to come home.

Sometimes he wondered if Naruto and Sakura truly forgave him, or if they were just pretending. But then, Naruto didn't really hold onto grudges and anger in the way that most people did, so maybe he wasn't pretending. Of course, others that had done horrible things and went against Naruto in the past (such as Gaara and Pain), didn't really mean as much to him as Sasuke apparently did.

Why was he thinking about that idiot now?

Naruto would read too much into it, he was sure. He sometimes asked Sasuke if he ever thought about him while he was gone (or Sakura or Kakashi), but Sasuke never gave him an answer. If he were to be honest, it was because he was afraid to. He hated to admit that yes, he did think about them, but he didn't want to. He had tried to keep them out of his mind as much as possible, but they kept sneaking into his thoughts, especially Naruto. It didn't help that _everyone_ just kept bringing him up. Sometimes it was to taunt him, or to try and get a reaction out of him, and he tried not to give one (though it didn't always work out, such as when Sai kept pestering him about it).

Damn it. Even now Naruto was sneaking into his thoughts. The persistent idiot _refused_ to leave his mind alone.

He relaxed when he finally reached his home. Konoha's streets were far from barren, yet this place still felt like a ghost town to him. It was hard for him to explain, but it didn't matter much anymore. Of course, his relief quickly faded when he found his door unlocked, and he knew exactly why it was and who was in his home.

"Naruto," he called as he walked inside and took his shoes off. As expected, Naruto came pattering out with a bottle of soda in hand.

"Hey! Welcome back! I was told you'd be back today, so I thought we could celebrate! You're officially free from your chains! Cool, huh?" Naruto's grin was so wide and open that Sasuke had to look away from it. Partly out of guilt, partly out of fear, and partly because it was just painful.

Naruto followed Sasuke in his kitchen and placed the bottle of soda on the table. "I thought we could drink to it! I mean, I know it's not sake or anything, but we're not old enough to drink that yet and I promised my mom I wouldn't drink before –"

Sasuke slammed his hand on the table to stop Naruto from continuing. "_I don't want to hear it_," he snapped.

Naruto stopped and blinked at him, confused. "What? What's wrong with you?"

"I don't want to hear about your mother or what you two talked about. I don't need to know anything about you."

"I know you don't _need_ to know, but I _want_ you to know!"

Sasuke turned away from him and grumbled, "That's the problem."

"What's the problem? The only problem is that you insist on being stubborn! What's stopping us from being friends? You're back in Konoha, you're not leaving, and we're going to be on the same team again!"

Sasuke stiffened, but didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He knew Naruto was right, but there was something preventing him from getting close to him.

Fear?

Shame?

Guilt?

Anger?

Embarrassment?

It was hard to tell. He didn't know what he felt for Naruto anymore. They had spent so many years apart. They were apart longer than they were together, and throughout that time, he had shoved Naruto and his feelings toward him into a dark corner in his mind. He was…hesitant to take those feelings back out. Back at the Valley of the End, separating from Naruto had been the most painful thing he had to do before leaving. He left that battle feeling more determined than ever, but…

He also left feeling like he was no longer "whole".

But that just confused him even more. Shouldn't he long to feel "whole" again? Instead he was hesitating. Those emotions he felt in the Valley of the End, the emotions he felt when he met Naruto after killing Danzo, and those emotions he felt during the war when Ino had them all connected.

Those feelings were intense…and they were directed at _him_.

Sasuke felt he would be swallowed whole by those feelings.

They were too overwhelming.

He couldn't give Naruto what he wanted.

"I don't want you to try and bond with me," Sasuke said in a stern voice.

This time it was Naruto who slammed his hands down on his table in frustration.

"I'm _already_ bound to you!"

Sasuke looked back at him. He wasn't sure what expression he wore, but once Naruto saw it, his eyes widened, his cheeks reddened, and he began stuttering.

"Err…I mean…not in a weird way… _Stop looking at me like that dattebayo_!" Naruto was speaking so quickly Sasuke barely got what he was even saying at the end of that.

"What?"

Naruto straightened and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Err, I mean…never mind. I just want to let you know that I'm staying over tonight."

Sasuke felt his shoulders tense. It wasn't as if it was anything new. Naruto spent the night whenever he could. To be honest, Sasuke just gave up trying to kick him out. He could tell him no, but it would just result in another argument and…even Sasuke was becoming tired.

"Do what you want."

"Heh. Thanks. So are you gonna get us some glasses to drink from or what?"

Sasuke did get some glasses out from the cupboard as well as some ice. Naruto poured them both a glass of orange soda. Sasuke didn't particularly like the taste, so he only had a couple of sips. Sitting at the table with Naruto was uncomfortable, and he just wanted to go to bed. So when Naruto asked him about his mission, he ignored him and instead announced that he was going to take a shower. He had no intention of sharing with Naruto. Not his memories, not his day, and _definitely_ not his feelings.

Naruto looked put out when he left the kitchen. He heard Naruto mutter something under his breath, but Sasuke didn't hear it and told himself that it didn't bother him.

About ten minutes later, he was out of the shower and went into his room to change. He saw Naruto sitting on the end of his bed and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"I wanna sleep in here tonight."

Naruto's face was so serious; Sasuke didn't think he would let himself be kicked out so easily. He was so…annoyingly persistent.

"No," Sasuke answered as he began getting dressed.

"Come on! I don't even want to sleep in the bed! I'm fine with sleeping on the floor!"

"Why does it _matter_?"

"It does!"

Finished dressing in a plain dark blue t-shirt and black sleeping pants, Sasuke turned to Naruto and regarded him. Clouding the determination in Naruto's eyes was an emotion Sasuke didn't want to see.

Fear.

Fear of rejection?

It brought back a flood of memories of when he was a child. How he felt when Itachi kept turning him away and made empty promises he never kept. The memories tugged at his heart and he hated himself for caring that Naruto was looking at him with those same eyes he had given Itachi, even if there was something…different in them that he didn't recognize, he recognized enough to understand him and he hated that.

He didn't want to see into Naruto's heart anymore. He didn't want those intense emotions directed at him anymore. He had never asked for it. Being back in the village was hard enough without it.

But still…

He couldn't ignore them either.

He wanted to. He wanted to fight tooth and nail against them and reject and deny them until the end, but he couldn't. He couldn't pretend that he didn't see or understand.

No matter how much he wanted to.

"Fine, you can sleep on the floor. You have to get your own blankets though," he said as he walked past Naruto on the end of the bed in order to get in from the side. "And don't make a habit of this. I'm just…tired. I just want to sleep and don't want to waste time arguing with you."

Naruto's expression was so open it made Sasuke's stomach twist. Naruto really shouldn't let himself be so open with people, it was going to get him in trouble one day. But that wasn't Sasuke's concern.

"Alright! I knew you'd see things my way!" Naruto shouted in triumph as he ran out of the room to go through Sasuke's closet. He was way too comfortable in Sasuke's home, too familiar as well. He knew where everything was and was comfortable enough to go digging for what he wanted.

It wasn't long before Naruto came back in the room and laid out everything to the left of Sasuke's bed. Sasuke didn't have to ask to know he did it knowing that Sasuke preferred to sleep on the left side of his bed.

"Turn the light off," Sasuke sighed as he closed his eyes and got more comfortable on his right side.

"Eh? Why me?"

"Because I'm letting you stay in my room."

"But I'm a guest."

When Sasuke opened his eyes to glare at him, he saw Naruto grinning. The idiot was practically _glowing_. How stupid.

"_Naruto_."

"Fine, fine. You're no fun when you're sleepy. So grumpy." Naruto got up and turned the light off, then went back to his spot on the floor.

"Good night, Sasuke."

Sasuke waited a few seconds before mumbling into his pillow, "Good night."

~*NS*~

Naruto didn't fall asleep right away like Sasuke, too excited to allow his mind and body rest.

He felt he was progressing with Sasuke. When he first started staying the night, Sasuke made it very clear that his place was on the sofa. Maybe he would even be able to sleep on the bed with him before the year was over. Not that Naruto was in a rush to share a bed with Sasuke, nor did it mean that he wanted to, but something good was happening. He could feel it. He just…had to keep coming around and make sure Sasuke didn't forget about him.

Because, honestly, that was what Naruto feared the most. That Sasuke would forget about him and completely cut him off from his life.

It bothered Naruto that Sakura seemed more easily accepted than him, because he didn't understand _why_, and he was too afraid to ask. He didn't want the answer to be something that would hurt, even if Sasuke hurting him wasn't new, but that was okay. Naruto could take whatever Sasuke threw at him and he knew that deep down, Sasuke was hurting just as much as him. Naruto wanted to take away that hurt so badly, as well as whatever else was troubling him, but didn't know how. He wanted to be there as his support system, to help him heal, but first he had to get Sasuke to let him in.

He bit his bottom lip as he stared up at the ceiling, wondering how he could do that.

Maybe all Sasuke needed was time…?

Sitting up, Naruto peered over the bed and looked at Sasuke. He was curled up on his side, which was how he often slept. He didn't really move or make much sound when he slept.

His face looked so peaceful when he slept. It was strange seeing him look so…unguarded. Strange, but in a nice way. He wished Sasuke would look that way when he was awake and around Naruto. He should know that there really wasn't a reason to be guarded around Naruto; he wouldn't do anything to hurt or betray Sasuke. He wouldn't laugh at Sasuke's feelings or make light of his past and the hurt he carried from it, so what exactly was making him so against opening up to him?

Naruto shifted on his knees next to the bed and reached forward to move Sasuke's hair out of his face. A few strands were in his mouth and he moved them out, even though he normally would find it funny to see Sasuke sleeping with his hair in his mouth. But laughing was the last thing on his mind now. Other thoughts were making themselves known, all at once, and there was no one emotion for him to hang onto while looking at Sasuke. The other boy made him feel…_so_ much. Too much. Naruto's whole body reacted to Sasuke, but mostly his heart and stomach. His heart would squeeze and swell and his stomach would twist and coil. He felt so strongly for Sasuke, but he wondered if Sasuke felt even half as strongly for him.

Placing both hands on the side of the bed, Naruto rested his chin on his fingers as he looked at him. Their faces were close, and Naruto thought that Sasuke had nice eyelashes. They were dark, thick, and long, more so than Sakura's. Strange. He always thought girls had such pretty eyes, but lately he'd been thinking Sasuke's eyes were nicer.

Not in a weird way of course! It was just something he noticed…

He admired Sasuke a lot, and he was…not unpleasant to look at. When he came out of the shower, he thought, Sasuke looked good for someone who was out of commission for awhile. He could tell Sasuke trained from how in shape he looked.

Of course, he was looking out of admiration, and that was the honest truth. Naruto was pretty proud of his own body. It showed he worked out often, so he admired that in Sasuke, especially since he had been stuck in an apartment for awhile and was no doubt restrained in ways he could train. He had begrudgingly admitted that okay, he was a fairly attractive guy and that maybe Sakura wasn't as blind as he insisted she was.

Sitting back down and away from the bed, Naruto tried to ignore how warm his face felt. More and more, he was starting to feel strange around Sasuke. At first, he recognized that he simply wanted to be closer to him, but slowly, he began thinking of all these different ways he wanted to be closer to him. He wanted to them to become inseparable. The more he thought about that, the more he started noticing him in ways he had ignored in his youth.

He was more aware of Sasuke than before, which he didn't think was possible. But his movements, even slight ones, Naruto found himself picking up on. Naruto became better at telling when Sasuke was uncomfortable by how his shoulders tensed, a subtle movement, but Naruto picked up on it as if it was an obvious one.

He also became aware when Sasuke left to go somewhere, and found his eyes following after him and keep track of him for as long as he was in sight. He didn't do that for anyone else, but guessed it was probably because he was afraid to lose him again. The fear of Sasuke leaving was faint though, and he could rationalize that it was just paranoia at this point. Sasuke wouldn't leave because his new goal kept him here.

"Nnnngh…"

Naruto's head snapped up to look at Sasuke. He had lowered his eyes while he thought, so he hadn't noticed that Sasuke's face scrunched up in…pain? His eyebrows were furrowed together and his hand was clenching the bed sheet.

He was having a nightmare…_again_.

Sasuke always got snappy and short when Naruto woke him from these, but still, he didn't hesitate moving forward and grabbing his shoulder.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up!"

Sasuke jumped in shock, gasping. There was a bit of sweat on his face and body which surprised him. How long had he been lost in his own thoughts and wonderings?

Sasuke was sitting up, staring at one of his hands while trying to catch his breath. Naruto wanted more than anything to ask him what his nightmare had been about, but knew he'd be pushed away if he did, so he waited. When Sasuke finally calmed himself, much to Naruto's surprise, he simply laid back down on his left side, his back facing Naruto, with no words spoken.

"…Sasuke?"

"Go to sleep, Naruto."

~*NS*~

Sasuke could hear Naruto's frustrated huff as he fell back on his bedding with a thump. He could tell by his breathing that he wasn't going to sleep, and wondered if he had fallen asleep at all. It was embarrassing to think that his nightmare was bad enough to wake the other boy up, but he didn't want to ask.

He had underestimated how hard it would be to walk through the village again. Sasuke had been plagued with nightmares of his family and home since he was a young child, but they had begun to spread out when he joined Team 7, then he was so obsessed with killing Itachi, that those thoughts and feelings entered his dreams as well as…other dreams that involved his old team that he'd rather not think about.

Now he was dreaming about ghosts. He had a dream of walking through the village and seeing all of his clan members at various places he had seen on his walk home. Then, one by one, they all died, right in front of him. He had no idea how they were dying in the dream, only that one minute they were smiling at him, greeting him, making idle talk with him, and the next they were screaming, reaching out to him, and collapsing in a puddle of their own blood.

Sasuke gripped his shirt above his heart.

This pain would never go away.

There was nothing Naruto could say or do to make it stop, but that wouldn't stop him from trying if Sasuke told him about the dreams. Naruto would just make more empty promises to help him, to heal him, without acknowledging that some things can't be healed. Not fully.

Sasuke wasn't a fool and he wasn't so delusional as to believe he would ever reach a point of complete recovery.

Naruto should just let go of that thought and of him.

~*NS*~

To say Naruto didn't sleep well would be an understatement. When morning came, his eyes felt heavy and he was having a hard time keeping them open. He yawned into his hand for the fifth time while toweled himself off, having taken a shower. It was weird and nice, having his hair smell like Sasuke's shampoo. It was weird because he wasn't used to the smell on himself, but it was nice because…well, it smelled nice, though it didn't sooth him like it did some other mornings.

What was Sasuke dreaming about last night? What nightmares kept him from getting a good night's rest? He wanted to know so he could try and help him. He wanted to help Sasuke in whatever way he could, even if it was just helping him sleep better.

Yawning again, he left the bathroom in a pair of his usual orange bottoms and a white t-shirt with a swirl in the center. Sasuke was in the kitchen eating breakfast, and Naruto wondered what he would eat. Sasuke didn't offer him food or make him a plate without being asked. Ever. Naruto didn't know what the deal was with that, since he would do it for Sasuke if he was staying at his place, but he couldn't see that happening any time soon.

"There's someone here to see you," Sasuke said as soon as Naruto walked in the kitchen.

"Well, good morning to you too."

Sasuke grunted in response.

Naruto sighed before going to the entrance and seeing Sai standing outside of the apartment.

"Sai? What are you doing here?"

Sai turned to him and gave him a smile in greeting. "When I couldn't find you at your apartment, I figured you'd be here, so I came."

"Ah, yeah." Naruto scratched his cheek. "I've been staying over here a lot I guess. So why were you lookin' for me?"

"The hokage wants to see you."

"Eh, the old lady sent you? What does she want?"

"I don't know." Sai shrugged as he peeked over Naruto's shoulder, probably looking at Sasuke. Sai didn't see much of Sasuke and the two weren't exactly friends, but Sakura told Naruto that she sensed Sai was curious about him, and about them. "She just said to come see her as soon as you can. If you want to go now, I'll walk with you."

"Ah, okay, just give me a sec!" Naruto went back into the kitchen. "I'm going to see the old lady, but I'll be back soon. Hey, do you wanna do anything today?"

Sasuke swallowed his rice before he answered. "What?"

"Do you want to do anything with me today?" Naruto repeated, speaking slower. "You know, like train? It's been awhile since we've sparred. Actually, we haven't done that at all since you've been back! I think we should!"

Sasuke didn't answer right away, and just as Naruto was about to say something, Sasuke shook his head, but gave no reason as to why. And as much as Naruto wanted to push it, he didn't want to leave Sai waiting. He would bring it up again later.

"Fine. I'll be back then."

With that, Naruto went to put his shoes on and left with Sai. The walk felt relatively short. He listened to Sai talk about his new teammates and felt both happy for him and kind of sad. He missed having Sai on his team, but he supposed he couldn't have everything. At least he still had him as a friend. Plus, it sounded like Sai was getting along with his new teammates and was fitting in just fine. Considering how Sai used to be when he first joined Team Kakashi, Naruto was proud of how far his friend had come and that he was gaining even more friends.

When they got to Tsunade's office, they parted ways, making promises to go out to dinner sometime later that week with Sakura.

"Hey old lady!" Naruto greeted as he walked in.

"Oi, learn some respect!" Tsunade scolded.

"Maah, you know I respect ya. So what did you wanna see me about?"

Tsunade took a deep breath and stood up from her chair. "I've been thinking about it for awhile now, but I think it's time for me to step down as hokage."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

"Naruto, I've already talked to the jonins about it, and they all agree that you're the right choice for the next hokage. You have their vote, and you of course have my support."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He was having a hard time breathing and it felt as if his heart was beating as fast as a rabbit's.

He was going to be hokage?

Finally?

His dream was _finally_ being realized?!

"Are you _serious_?!"

"I'm going to train you a little first, of course, and help you in the beginning to make sure you're prepared, but yes." Tsunade walked around the desk and to Naruto. Placing a hand on his head, she gave him a warm smile. "You did it kid. I'm proud of you."

Naruto stared at her with wide eyes.

While growing up, he had never thought he'd hear those words, and he didn't think he'd ever get used to hearing them no matter how many people told him.

Grinning, he rubbed his nose and chuckled.

"I won't let you down!"

"I know." Tsunade ruffled his hair and then crossed her arms and returned his grin. "So, I take it you accept?"

Naruto was about to say yes – _hell_ yes! – the word was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't get it out. Suddenly he didn't feel so good. The giddiness was fading and dread was starting to sink in as he remembered…

Sasuke wanted to become hokage too.

If he accepted the position, what would that mean for Sasuke? What would that do to their already fragile relationship?

Tsunade's grin turned into a frown when she noticed his hesitation.

"What's wrong?"

"I just…this is…" What could he say? That he was worried if he accepted, if he allowed himself to grasp his dream, that Sasuke would disappear again? That if he accepted and Sasuke did leave, he wouldn't be able to chase after him due to new responsibilities?

How could he even _think_ about turning this down? He had worked his whole life for it!

But he had also worked his whole life for Sasuke to notice him, and to be friends with him…

And he still had so much to do with Sasuke. He hadn't saved him yet! Sasuke had come back to the village, physically, but emotionally he was still so far away.

"I…"

But he couldn't turn this down either. It had been his dream for so long.

He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, just as he was about to step away, Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you need time to think about it?" she asked, and Naruto picked up on her confusion. Of course she was confused. Hadn't he promised her he would become hokage one day? And now, now that that chance was here, he was considering turning it away?

No.

He couldn't do that.

Not when she believed in him, not when she was _proud_ of him!

"I accept."


	6. His support

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 6: His support

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: Doing a canon fic is so hard nowadays. Things are changing so much. If I had started writing this story after the new chapters, it would probably be different lol. Ah well. I'll just write some of that stuff later, when this is done. Oh, by the way, I totally listened to the song _Ain't No Mountain High_ _Enough_ while writing this and thought it fit Naruto's feelings for Sasuke SO WELL, especially in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

When Naruto left the hokage's office, his shoulders were slouched and he leaned forward a bit in his walk. He didn't feel as happy as he thought he would after receiving the title he had worked his whole life for.

Half of him felt he didn't even deserve the title, not yet.

What had he done to help Sasuke? He had fought with him in the war, and that had been great, then he fought with him after the war which had been…not so great, more painful, but he thought that it would all be better in the end. Why wasn't it? Where had he gone wrong? Since Sasuke came back, he always went to him. He always thought about him. He had tried to be there for him as much as he could, but Sasuke just wouldn't _let_ him.

Maybe if he could get Sasuke to fight with him again… If Sasuke would just spar and train with him, he was sure he could get him to open up. Sasuke was always so open when they fought. It was one of the reasons why Naruto enjoyed fighting with him so much. It was as if they both had their hearts on their sleeves. Naruto could see Sasuke feelings so clearly, which was sometimes painful, but was also amazing. To be able to see the person who meant so much to him, not just his good sides, but his dark parts that some might consider ugly too.

Naruto wanted to see it all.

With that in mind, he started thinking up ways to provoke Sasuke into a fight. First he had to get them to the training ground so they didn't' destroy any property or hurt anyone. They could get a little carried away when they fought, but Naruto didn't care. He didn't care if he ended up in the hospital afterward, so long as it happened!

"Naruto?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Naruto stopped and looked up. "Hinata? Hey! You're back from your mission? You've been going on a lot of those!"

A small blush colored her cheeks, but she didn't look away from him. Hinata was growing to be more bold, which was nice to see. Naruto hadn't seen her since the war though, so he wondered how much she had changed. Her team was sent out to a lot of missions, just one after the other, and Naruto had been busy with his own team and dealing with Sasuke. There was never any time to see her.

"I just got back today. I have the rest of the week to rest though. Kiba got hurt on the mission." She let out a soft giggle at the admission, so Naruto decided not to worry about Kiba. He probably got hurt doing something stupid (not that Naruto had any room to talk). "And, well…I was thinking…maybe we could do something together while I have time off – that is, if _you_ have time off."

Honestly, Naruto sometimes had _too_ much time off. He couldn't wait for his next mission, but then…

Would he ever get another mission?

Hokages didn't really go on missions, did they?

But…Sasuke…he just…

"Naruto?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I just…have a lot on my mind. Um, wait, what were we talking about?"

Hinata fidgeted. "I asked…if you wanted to do anything with me."

Naruto frowned, and it took him a few extra seconds to realize what he was being asked. His cheeks flushed and he suddenly became very nervous.

He was being asked out on a date!

What should he even say to that? In all his life, Naruto had never been asked out on a date before. He had asked Sakura out on dates, but that always resulted in…painful consequences. He never thought anyone would ever want to ask him. He had hoped and daydreamed Sakura would, when he was younger, but never really expected it. He always figured he'd have to do something amazing to win her over so that she would one day say yes to him asking her out.

Even though Hinata had confessed to him, he never thought she'd actually ask him out. He thought she was just…letting him know.

Did she want a relationship? Sakura took him on a play date once, the night Sasuke left. He didn't really count that though, since they didn't really do anything that he thought people did on dates. They didn't hold hands, she didn't kiss him on the cheek or let him kiss her on the cheek. They didn't even really talk, except for that brief conversation about Sasuke. Sakura had been far off throughout that whole "date", no doubt thinking about Sasuke.

Did Hinata just want to go on a date like that or…or a real one with hand holding and kisses on the cheek?

Could he do that?

Did he even have time for that?

So much was happening already.

He looked at Hinata with a frown. He…he had so much to do, so much to think about. Hinata was such a nice, good girl. He didn't want to hurt her, but…

Swallowing, he nodded to the side and asked, "Can we talk somewhere more private?"

Hinata nodded and they walked away from the dirt road and toward a tree. It was the same one Hinata had been hiding behind when he first saw her after coming back from training with Jiraiya, back when he was looking for a temporary replacement teammate, not knowing Sai had already been assigned to them. She had blushed and fainted as soon as he came to talk to her. He had thought she was so weird back then, now he felt kind of stupid for never noticing. But how could he? It wasn't as if anyone had ever had a crush on him before and he had never seen anyone else act that way when they had a crush. Sakura and Ino were both very bold and forward with their feelings, Naruto was too.

"Hinata, I'm sorry, I can't do anything with you this week." Naruto bowed his head a little. "I can't do anything with you anytime soon. I just…I have too much to do right now. I…can't think about anything except helping Sasuke and…my goal of…well, you know." Naruto was about to tell her that he had become hokage, but it didn't feel right. He thought his team should be the first to know, but he wasn't ready to tell them either. Just for a little while, he would keep it to himself. "I need to be there for Sasuke and work on some other things."

"Naruto…" Hinata's voice sounded soft, and Naruto hoped that she wasn't hurt too badly. He knew all too well what it felt like to be rejected. It hurt. And he remembered questioning why. Why wasn't he good enough? Why wouldn't Sakura look at him the way she looked at Sasuke? Was there something wrong with him? He didn't want Hinata to think or feel those things though. She was a great girl. She would make someone very happy one day.

It just…couldn't be him.

"Naruto," to his surprise, her voice felt stronger, more determined. "Please, look at me."

Hesitantly, Naruto lifted his eyes and met hers. Hinata was really pretty when she looked determined. Fierce. He remembered being blown away by it during the chunin exams. He had seen her look that way a few other times after that, as well. Always in battle. But now, now she was looking at him with those eyes, with a determination and boldness he learned she was capable of if it was important enough to her.

"I love you, and I need to know…if you have feelings for me too."

Naruto blinked.

"If you're truly just busy…then…then I can wait for you, but if you're telling me that you don't, then I…I should know."

Naruto bit his lip. It was harder than he thought it would be. Was this how Sakura felt when she rejected him for the last time?

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I don't feel the same way about you."

Hinata held his gaze for a few seconds after that, then closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Thank you…for being h-honest with me." There was a slight tremble in her voice, but Naruto knew she was trying to be strong.

For him….or for her…he wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to point it out to her.

"Hinata…"

"You should go to him then."

"Huh?"

"To Sasuke. He…obviously means a lot to you, right? You've been thinking a lot about him."

Naruto scratched his cheek and looked off to the side. "Well…yeah. I guess I always have."

"Ah." Hinata turned away from him, and he wondered if she was crying. Should he hug her? They weren't as close as he and Sakura were, but it would be okay, right? Or would that just hurt her more? "I understand. I…I hope your feelings get through to him."

"Hinata…we can still hang out…I mean, if you want, I can—"

Hinata looked over her shoulder at him, smiling softly even though her eyes looked misty.

"No. I think I'm going to go and visit Kiba in the hospital. Just to see if he would like some company. But…thank you…"

With that, Naruto watched her walk away from him. For some reason, he thought of Neji, and how he hadn't really paid his grave a visit since the first time. He wondered if Hinata visited him more often, but he didn't know how to ask. His heart hurt, thinking about Neji's loss, but he wasn't sure why he was thinking about it now. It wasn't as if he lost Hinata. She would always be his friend, though he wasn't sure if she'd want to see him again anytime soon. He knew that when Sakura rejected him, they spent some time apart, but it wasn't long and they were fine now.

Inhaling deeply through his nose, he exhaled slowly, to help his body relax, and then started to make his way back to Sasuke's. A bit slower this time.

~*NS*~

It was strange. Sasuke was feeling oddly vulnerable since he woke up. He supposed he was just having one of those days, where he was a bit more sensitive than usual. He hoped that whatever the hokage wanted kept Naruto busy for the rest of the day, he really wasn't sure he could handle his company.

After eating his breakfast, Sasuke went back into his bedroom and fell on his bed. He pulled himself up until his face was buried in his pillow. He hated days like this, where he felt…emotionally vulnerable. It made him feel and look weak. He hated the idea of other people noticing just how…helpless he sometimes felt, how powerless, how worthless. His confidence was fickle, more so than what people assumed. There were days where he felt nothing could faze him, but then there were other days where the wrong word could shatter his confidence and self-worth.

He had always felt that way, living in Itachi's shadow, but it intensified when his clan was murdered and he had been powerless to do anything about it.

Since the massacre of his clan, Sasuke had spent his life falling. It was as if Itachi had pushed him off a cliff. There were some resting spots that he crashed on, rocks that stuck out of the cliff. He would lie there, watching people being joyous at the top of the cliff, enjoying life. Sometimes, he would see someone fall past him from the corner of his eye and sometimes they would fall on a part of the cliff sticking out as well. Sometimes they would find some hidden strength Sasuke couldn't see and climb back up, a few making it to the top, while others just kept falling back down. Other times they just kept falling to the bottom, past him and into the black abyss, and every so often, something would happen and they'd bounce back up and land back on the top where they can live their lives joyously.

Sasuke would not be one of the people to bounce, he knew.

The landing point was only temporary, after awhile, the rock underneath him would crumble and he'd be falling again. There would be other rest points, but no safe point. When he did hit a rest point, the impact of the fall was so damaging that it left him paralyzed. To move towards the cliff, to climb back up, would have been too painful and hard.

So he kept falling.

Sometimes he feared reaching the bottom, other times he wanted nothing else.

He just wanted it to _end_, but he didn't know how to make it end.

Revenge didn't work. Killing Itachi just left him…empty. He had nothing to live for after, until Madara told him about Danzo and the elders, but he had made his decision to not continue with his plans of revenge on them. His goal of being hokage was dwindling and he had little hope that it would help pull him back up to the top of the mountain where everyone else was.

And piling on top of all of that, it was harder than he thought, going back to being someone of the village. Every time he put his new headband on he felt as if the fabric was burning his skin. He felt like he was betraying his family, but he would also be betraying Itachi not to. He wasn't sure which path would lead to him betraying himself, though.

When he heard his door open, he pushed his face into his pillow.

Damn it, he didn't want to deal with Naruto now.

Why wouldn't he just leave him alone?

Why did he always have to come?

And why, _why_ was he always the one who caught him at his most vulnerable?

He _hated_ it.

The footsteps were soft as they came and Sasuke felt some emotion coiling in his chest. It felt hot, but it wasn't anger.

Frustration?

"Hey, I'm back," Naruto said in a soft voice, almost like a whisper. It was strange. He didn't sound like he was in such a good mood. Maybe Tsunade didn't give him good news.

Sasuke didn't care.

_Just leave. _

_I don't want anyone to see me like this. _

_Especially you._

But Naruto was Naruto. He never did what Sasuke wanted, nor did he know what Sasuke wanted to begin with. Instead of leaving, he sat on the corner of Sasuke's bed next to him. When Sasuke turned his head enough to look at him, he saw Naruto's back. He was facing the wall rather than him and was wearing a frown.

"I just turned down Hinata. It was harder than I thought. Rejecting people." Naruto let out a soft and fake chuckle while he scratched the back of his head. "Never thought I'd be the one rejecting someone. I don't know how you do it."

Sasuke looked away from him and buried his face into his pillow again.

"But it was the right choice, and I'm sure she'll find someone way better for her than me. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I realize I would make her unhappy. I wouldn't be able to give her the attention she'd deserve, not when I…" Naruto trailed off, becoming silent, then, Sasuke felt Naruto shift on the bed and looked back to see those blue eyes staring down at him with determination. "Not when I'm too focused on you right now."

"So you're blaming me?" Sasuke asked, sounding bitter.

"No. I just…I want to help you. I want to be there to support you whenever you need it."

"I _don't_ need it."

Naruto surprised Sasuke by not getting upset, rather, he simply smiled. "Okay. But I want you to know that I'm here. Even if you never need me, my help or support, I'll still be behind you, ready to give it to you if ever the need does come."

Sasuke's heart clenched painfully at that, and he had to look away.

"Sasuke…I…I can't stop you from falling…"

Sasuke stopped breathing.

How…

How did he know?

When they last fought, how deeply had Naruto looked in his heart?

"But I can catch you."

Sasuke snorted weakly.

"You'll just die from the impact."

"If that does happen, I'd be okay with it."

Sasuke looked back at him, eyes full of confusion.

Why?

Naruto wasn't looking at him anymore, but the frown was off his face. He looked…content.

Sasuke didn't understand it.

"I could die with you, without regrets."

No more on the subject was said. No more needed to be said. Naruto had obviously said what he needed to say, and once he stood up from the bed, Sasuke knew he was done.

"I'm staying over again tonight."

"Hn."

"It's still pretty early though, but man am I starving! I haven't eaten at _all_ yet! I'm gonna raid your fridge, alright?"

"Naruto…"

Naruto stopped at the doorway and looked back at him. "Yeah, what?"

"So…what did the hokage want?"

Naruto tensed, and Sasuke saw him clench his fists before relaxing again.

"Ah, nothing important."


	7. He who always keeps his word

Title: Life Moves On

Chapter 7: He who always keeps his word (and never lies)

Pairing: NarutoxSasuke

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga.

Notes: So I outlined the rest of the story and it will be done in nine chapters. A little longer than I had intended when I started it, but it'll do. It sometimes tried to become something longer and even more complicated, but I beat it into submission. :D

Thank you so much for the reviews guys! I enjoyed reading them and appreciate the support. Much love!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

~*NS*~

Due to Naruto eating Sasuke out of house and home, Sasuke decided it was time to go shopping. For the whole time he was locked up, Sakura got his groceries for him. She continued to do so even afterward, which he was thankful for because walking through the village was still hard for him. The memories were hard to bear, and he only hoped he got used to it in time. This time, however, Naruto said that it was time Sasuke "got his own shit" and shoved him out of his apartment. He was walking with Sasuke, picking up some food for himself while he was there (mostly ramen, of course). Sasuke wondered if Naruto planned to bring the things he bought back to Sasuke's apartment or if he'd go home. Naruto was practically living with him now, so it wouldn't surprise him if he just brought it back there.

Sasuke hated to admit it, but having Naruto around while he walked around the village was…not bad. He was sticking to his word, staying beside and behind Sasuke the whole time. He distracted Sasuke from some painful thoughts and memories by being there, and Sasuke was silently grateful for that.

It was strange though, to have someone tell him he'd do something and actually stick with it. He remembered all of the empty promises Itachi made and how badly they had hurt him back then. If he were to be honest, he didn't actually expect Naruto to be true to his word. But Naruto was not Itachi, and he had never lied.

Of course, it wasn't as if Sasuke was still…too upset over Itachi not keeping his promises to play with him. It went deeper than that. He had been lied to by someone who he had trusted and looked up to, someone who he had loved unconditionally, but he had been betrayed. Even if Itachi had done it by the village's orders, Sasuke still felt betrayed by him (_and_ the village).

The only person who had never betrayed him…was Naruto. Somewhere inside of him, though, Sasuke was waiting for it. That was why he was always so surprised when Naruto didn't. He was loyal to a fault, and Sasuke wasn't sure how to respond to that loyalty. He hadn't returned it, he couldn't even honestly say he deserved it, but he had it.

_Why_?

It was the one question he continued to pose to Naruto and his never ending loyalty and devotion to him and their bond. He simply couldn't understand it. Even Sakura, at some point, gave up on him and attempted to kill him. Kakashi, as well. Hell, the whole village had. As much as Sasuke hated thinking about it, he couldn't stop. He had never been on the receiving end of something like that. Sure, Itachi's love for him was also unconditional, but he had made mistakes, mistakes that had hurt Sasuke really badly.

But Naruto…

Naruto never hurt him.

Actually, it was the other way around. Sasuke was the one who hurt Naruto.

Sasuke swallowed and looked at Naruto, who was paying for his things (too much ramen and some milk). He looked…happy, cheerful. He was smiling at the man and probably telling him a bad joke. Sasuke didn't think Naruto was faking his cheerfulness, but he wasn't blind or stupid. He knew there was some frustration there, but since his new "vow" to stick with Sasuke whether he needed him or not, he seemed…more content. It was strange to see. They still argued – it had only been a few days since Naruto made his little vow – but Naruto didn't storm out or leave like he sometimes had before.

Sulked in some random corner in Sasuke's apartment though, _that_ he did.

When Naruto walked up to him, he looked down at the bags Sasuke was carrying. "Eh, is that all you're going to get? Crappy, nasty vegetables and bread?"

"I have fish, as well."

Naruto didn't look impressed by that, but Sasuke wasn't about to take eating advice from _him_.

On their way back to Sasuke's apartment, Naruto became strangely quiet. It wasn't pleasant. Sasuke didn't like to admit it, even to himself, but he had grown reliant on his annoyingly loud voice to block out more unpleasant things. Up ahead, he could see a shop that his mother had once liked to frequent. It was a little shop that sold good tea. It had been rebuilt, of course, just like every other building, so it didn't look as old as the one in his memory, but the sign, the shape, the organization, it was all the same.

He remembered his mother holding his hand in hers while she walked inside, greeting the woman who owned the place. The scent of the store, of his mother, the warmth of her hand in his, how she felt so…big. Bigger than him, bigger than the world. How could someone so big and who made him feel so safe on the most frightening nights be taken from him so easily, so quickly? In his young mind, like in the minds of most children, his mother was invincible. To have her taken from him, just like that, with no final words…it was sometimes more than he could bear to think about.

He wasn't aware that he had stopped walking (or breathing), until he felt something on his back.

Swallowing, he didn't look back at Naruto, but he could feel him behind him. He could feel Naruto's hand on his back, a firm pressure, silently and patiently urging him to move forward.

He bit the corner of his mouth. No words were said. Naruto wasn't rushing him to heal or move on from a traumatic past. He wasn't belittling what he felt or telling him to get over it.

He was simply telling him to keep living, to keep moving, to not give up.

Had anyone else ever done that for him?

Had anyone else ever been there for him in such a way?

Naruto's hand didn't push at his back. It was still. A simple reminder that he wasn't alone, that if he ever needed anything or anyone, all he had to do was turn around.

As much as he wanted to fight it, a part of him was tired and…empty. And that part of him wanted to give into what Naruto offered, but another part, perhaps a bigger part, was still reluctant.

Wouldn't that just make him seem weak?

Itachi had been acting, but his words after he killed their family haunted him. They always had, and they always would. Those words had cut him deep, but Naruto's words and actions…they weren't cutting him, but they were reaching places deep within him.

It didn't feel safe, but he couldn't stop it.

There was no defense against Naruto. The idiot probably didn't even know what he was doing. He did things based on instinct and emotion, while Sasuke was more calculating. It threw him off. He couldn't ignore Naruto's presence, nor deny it completely, nor wipe the feel of his hand from his memory. They were just more things for him to carry with him as he tried not to become overwhelmed with everything that was piling on top of his shoulders.

But he could handle it, he assured himself, so he didn't turn around to ask Naruto for help. He doubted he ever would.

Without glancing behind him, Sasuke walked home, not stopping again. Naruto's hand left his back, but Sasuke could still feel where it had been.

~*NS*~

Once they made it back to the apartment, Sasuke felt calmer and more like himself. He had been right to think Naruto would stack his ramen in Sasuke's cupboards, as that was the first thing he did when they got there. Sasuke decided not to make a fuss over it, since Naruto said he'd put away Sasuke's stuff as well. Though Naruto didn't always put everything in the right stop ("No, Naruto, that goes over _there_."), but the gesture was still enough for him to not mention the ramen or milk.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he feared he was getting soft. Naruto's promise, his vow, had been so unexpected, it shook him.

Naruto always said things that…just didn't make sense to Sasuke, but hit something deep inside of him (like when Naruto first promised to die with him). There was just no preparing for Naruto. Sasuke wondered when Naruto started becoming able to say such embarrassing things and make such embarrassing promises to him so easily and openly.

Didn't he understand half of what he was saying?

Back when he and Naruto were genin on the same team, Naruto never said such bold things. Sasuke had said some embarrassing things though, but that was because he thought he was about to die. He had been so embarrassed after that though, and he thought Naruto was too with how they treated each other right after.

When did that change?

Thinking about his first real mission with Naruto and his team made him think about how he hadn't been sent out on a mission yet. Did Tsunade still not trust him?

Deciding to bring it up, Sasuke mentioned offhandedly, "We haven't received any missions yet. I wonder why."

Naruto froze and his shoulders stiffened. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the response in suspicion. Naruto was hiding something from him and it was starting to frustrate him, mostly because he felt he had something to do with it. If it had to do with him not receiving any missions, he was right to think so.

"Ah ha, yeah, that is weird. I don't know." Naruto put the last item away and stood up straight, but didn't face Sasuke.

"Naruto," Sasuke called in a stern voice. Naruto flinched, but didn't turn. "Just cut the crap and tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Don't act dumb. You know damn well what I'm referring to. You're hiding something, something that's affecting my getting missions, and it's starting to annoy me."

"Everything annoys you," Naruto grumbled.

"_Naruto_."

Naruto sighed, and turning to look at him, he gave Sasuke a sheepish smile. "It's just…some person stuff has been going on with me. It's nothing big, or worth mentioning."

Sasuke doubted that.

When seeing the look Sasuke gave him, Naruto's smile faded and he looked at Sasuke more seriously, but there was something sad about him too.

"Just…trust me, okay? For once."

Those words struck a chord in him, and he found himself unable to come up with a retort. Trust Naruto? He wanted to ask why he should, but there was no point in that. Naruto was the most trustworthy person out there, but Sasuke hadn't put his trust into someone since the massacre of his clan. The last person he had trusted completely was…Itachi, and look what happened there. Could he do it, though? Could he really let his walls down and trust someone so completely again? But didn't that just make people look…not just weak, but naïve? Naruto _was_ naïve, he knew, so much so that it was sometimes frustrating. But…that was part of the reason why he was trustworthy as well, wasn't it? Naruto honestly believed that there was good in people, in Sasuke. He believed the world could be worked on and made into a better place, he believed in the other villages even though they had been fighting and doing horrible things to their own village for years (like with Neji's father). It was such an…ugly world, an ugly reality, but Naruto had hope in it and saw it as beautiful work in progress.

Did he see Sasuke as that too?

He couldn't ask Naruto, but he somehow knew Naruto didn't think of him in a demeaning or dehumanizing way. He could feel it, despite himself, that he wasn't a charity case. Naruto genuinely cared and saw something in him, something good that made him worth…_something_ to Naruto. It made him worth…fighting for? Fighting beside?

With his brows furrowed, Sasuke looked at Naruto and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, this one time.

If anyone in his life deserved his trust, it was Naruto, the person who had never hurt him or lied to him. Though Sasuke couldn't give his whole trust, he could give enough of it to accept Naruto's answer and drop the subject, even if he was hesitant.

He gave a nod and looked off to the side. "Hn. Fine then."

~*NS*~

Naruto was surprised that Sasuke didn't keep pressuring him about the missions, or lack of. Naruto breathed in relief when Sasuke nodded and looked off to the side, mumbling his answer.

He did feel kind of bad though. He didn't like keeping his new title from Sasuke, but…he was afraid. What if Sasuke found out and left again?

Of course, it wasn't as if he could keep hiding it forever. Once Tsunade was done going over the ropes with him there would be a ceremony to celebrate him becoming the new hokage. It excited him, but he was also really nervous and anxious about it. All of the responsibility that came with the job was so…overwhelming, more so than he thought. He knew he would have help though, so that eased his worries a bit, but then he just focused on Sasuke and what his reaction would be. Naruto had been thinking and daydreaming about it on and off since he was told. He was sure he had had dreams of it too, but he couldn't remember those. Just bits and pieces and, honestly, he preferred it that way. From the tiny bits he could remember, they weren't pleasant.

He comforted himself with the knowledge that he would tell Sasuke soon. He just needed some time to figure out the best way to. He would mull over it tonight and tomorrow, he would talk to him about it.

"So, you must be gettin' pretty bored sittin' around all day with nothing to do. You know, since we really haven't been given any missions. So…how about we spar a little? You know, so we don't get rusty or anything."

Naruto wasn't sure why he kept asking. He expected Sasuke to refuse right away, but when an answer wasn't given, Naruto's eyes widened a little and he leaned a bit toward Sasuke, who actually looked to be thinking about his answer. Naruto wished he could hear Sasuke's thoughts then, he did most times, but more so now than those. Sasuke was…so confusing. His mood changed so much, and his actions sometimes contradicted his words in ways that left Naruto baffled.

But if they were to fight again, if Naruto could just get inside of his heart again, maybe he would find something there, something that would assure him that Sasuke was there to stay.

Just as Sasuke looked about ready to give his answer, there was a series of knocks on his door. Naruto almost yelled in frustration when Sasuke's parted lips closed and tightened, as if sealing his answer away.

"You might as well get that. It's probably for you," Sasuke mumbled, looking away.

Sighing and letting his head fall back, Naruto waved his hand and said, "Yeah, yeah, but this isn't over!" and then went to the door to answer it. On the other side stood Sakura and Sai. Sakura looked almost giddy with excitement and even Sai wore a sincere smile.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Congratulations!" Sakura shouted loud enough for everyone in the entire apartment building to hear. She wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Naruto blinked.

_What?_

Sakura pulled away from Naruto and gave his cheek a playful punch. "You jerk! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Dread started to coil in his gut. He could feel rather than hear Sasuke walk up behind him.

"Er…tell you what?"

"Don't act dumb! I just heard from Shizune that you're going to be the hokage! You should have told us!"

Sakura continued to ramble, but Naruto was looking over his shoulder at Sasuke, who was wearing an expression he couldn't read.


End file.
